Jon Van Zyle
Galleries Featuring
Jon Van Zyle Prints
Scanlon Gallery - Ketchikan Alaska
Annie Kaill's -
Juneau, Alaska
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Art is his life and Alaska, all of
Alaska, has been his inspiration. Artist Jon Van Zyle has seen more of Alaska in a much more unique
way than most can ever hope to experience. Jon has twice completed the 1049 miles of the Iditarod
Trail Sled Dog Race between Anchorage and Nome. From these adventures he has created the yearly
Iditarod poster series commemorating the race and his involvement. In 1979 he was made official
Iditarod artist, a title he still holds today.
His acrylic paintings go beyond
the race, though, and encompass so much of Alaska's beauty. Jon's reputation as a storyteller
through his art is further enhanced by his art prints, posters and stone lithographs. Dog teams,
landscapes, wildlife, Alaskan faces from Native to newcomer, portray an intimacy with the land and
its people. He touches on history with studies of Alaskan pioneers and Native traditions and lore
recording the Alaskan spirit. Public acceptance of his shared feeling through his art has been his
greatest reward.
Jon and his wife, Jona, travel
extensively, gathering material and experiences for the continuous production of works of art. The
Van Zyles live near Eagle River, just East of Anchorage, where they maintain a dog team of Siberian
Huskies. Both inspirational and functional, the dogs play a large part in their lives together.
Honors include:
Official Iditarod artist
Invited artist - National Art
Exhibition of Alaskan Wildlife (Audubon Society) 1986 and 1987, and show judge in 1988
Invited artist - Alaska's Artists,
Capital Rotunda, Washington, D.C. 1983
Invited artist - Frye Art
Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1983, 1986, 1989 and 1994
Official artist - Committee for
Cooperation, Commerce and Peace, Alaska-Siberia Friendship Flight #1
Artist of the Year - Milwaukee
Sports/Wildlife Show 1991
Invited artist - Leigh
Yawkey Woodson Bird in Art Show 1990
Organizer, race judge and
official artist - Hope 91, first intercontinental international sled dog race from Nome, Alaska to
Anadyr, Chukotka Region, USSR
Featured artist - Pacific
Rim Wildlife Art Show, Tacoma, Washington, 1990, 1992 and 1997
Official artist, International
Federation of Sleddog Sports
Featured artist, "Wild in
Nature" exhibit, Netherlands, 1999
Invited Artist Deutsches Rontgen
Museum, Remscheid, Germany 2001
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LLC