THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS #15, ETERNITY IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND

Tami Phelps, Anchorage

hand-colored photograph, in optical photo box with attached lens $750

“I drove to Valdez shortly after the oil spill in 1989 to see first hand and try to understand the devastation of Prince William Sound.  I'll never forget the sight of slick, black sea otters in water cages with filmy eyes, trying to clean themselves of the tar, and similar unnatural images of arctic birds.  Witnessing the tarred sea otters and birds at the Valdez animal rehabilitation center in 1989 inspired this mixed media photographic work.My intent is to emphasize that the devastation caused by the Exxon Valdez oil spill will never be forgotten by Alaskans.”

Tami Jo Phelps is a hand color photography artist in Anchorage, Alaska.  Each of her pieces begins with a black and white image she has photographed, then hand colored. Her images range from a dreamlike quality through the use of infrared film and surreal color selection to more realistic representational art images.  Tami's photographs also become part of two and three dimensional pieces such as fiber art, furniture, jewelry, and other works.  Her work has been accepted in several juried exhibits and is included in the permanent collection of the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.