Lyndsi Harris creates works of art with birch tree bark as her canvas. Harris harvests the bark sustainably from fallen trees around the state, and paints and hand-embroiders on top for her small business Evolutionary Thread.
Other pieces, like her earrings, are not only hand-stitched and painted, but combine other art forms, including beading and salmon leather.
“The art community in Alaska never ceases to blow my mind,” Harris said. “I feel so fortunate to have started my art career here where artists and art consumers alike so deeply appreciate local art. There are so many opportunities to put your work out in front of the public from places like breweries [and] distilleries, restaurants [and] cafes, and of course galleries that I just don’t think is as common elsewhere.”
Harris’ work often has influences of animals around the world, from Alaska wildlife like a mother musk ox and her calf stitched around rolling hills, to endangered species like great green macaws and ring-tailed lemurs.
“I love the diversity of the natural world and the lessons we can learn from wildlife,” Harris said. “A huge focus of my work is to tell stories of the natural world and bring awareness to conservation efforts around the world. I think art is a perfect medium for teaching about big ideas and showing people that nature is so cool and conservation is achievable.”
A self-described naturalist, Harris’ background is in marine biology; when she started college, she said she had planned on double majoring in elementary education and art. Her mom had always been a hobby artist, so Harris says she grew up exposed to art.
“While neither of those [degrees] actually happened, I still took a number of art classes throughout university to help break up the intensity of my science class load,” Harris said. “I drew a lot of pictures for friends, made mugs and bowls, and in general kept up with a hobby art practice.”
It depends on the piece, but Harris says they average between 30 and 100 hours to complete. Her smaller pieces, like her earrings, are anywhere from 12 to 20 hours.
“The larger wall art pieces scale up with the amount of detail — like fur — and size,” Harris said.
Harris says she began working as a full time artist after having her son, who turns 5, this year.
“Alaskans cherish their artists and I couldn’t be more grateful for this community,” she said. “I’m also amazed at how encouraging and uplifting other artists are here. There is this attitude of ‘There’s room for everyone at the table’ and that is just so very true.”
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.