Alyssa Quintyne is on a mission to make her art obtainable.
Based in Fairbanks, the multidisciplinary artist and organizer creates prints that are more affordable, and says there are always ways that people can get art without it being exclusive.
“Now that piece is in somebody’s home or in a dentist’s office, and that’s great, but it’s accessible to those people only,” she continued. “And if my point is cultivating space for people in the community, then at some point I really had to make that decision of what is going to make it the most accessible?”
Quintyne has produced several virtual art shows, and says that exhibitions don’t have to be in-person to have an impact on people. As someone who lives with chronic illness, she says art and organizing are ways in which she navigates through her life, so it’s integral to how she creates and shares her work.
“I focus a lot on cultivating space and making art — whether it’s my art, somebody else’s art, an art event — accessible to people,” Quintyne said. “That looks, racially, that looks, disability wise, that even looks, access point — ‘Have you ever been to this gallery?’’
She recently wrapped an exhibit with Calypso Farm and Fairbanks Arts Association’s “Local Colors Show,” which featured 40 different artists. After lots of trial and error, Quintyne taught herself how to make natural watercolors from plants and berries in the area.
“I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m imagining you could just take plants and boil the crap out of them until you get something, right? So I did research, turns out that’s exactly what you do… Then the question was, ‘well, it’s botanical ink, that’s going to fade at some point — so when do I put paint on paper?” Quintyne said.
“I’m expecting fireweed is going to give you pink — no, green,” she continued. “You think cranberries would give you red. Sometimes, but usually it’s purple.”
Throughout the summer, she harvested, researched and sketched many versions of what would become three pieces for the show: “The Rabbit Moon,” “We Are Each Other” and “Aesculapius’ Teachings.”
Quintyne says the project was a lesson of learning to use what you are given. She learned how to do a lot of “tricks” with her paints since the natural colors dry differently or shift from time to time. She found that washing the paint on the paper would give her distinct hues.
“I paint a little bit realistic, I at least paint realistic skin tones… You learn a little bit about pigment history and how toxic some pigments would be and how hard other pigments would be to make, and I’m like, ‘I understand why everyone switched to rocks and synthetics because trying to get a reliable brown out of any plant — good luck.”
Quintyne has a hand-drawn star available to bid on at the upcoming Handmade Holiday Market on Nov. 29 in Fairbanks. She is also working on a new exhibition, “To Have a Heart,” which she is aiming for 2026-27.
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.
