The exhibit is called The Squirrel and the Bear.
Eric Bealer’s engravings remain some of the most iconic work produced in Alaska, and they can be found in homes and galleries everywhere. The exhibit installed in Sitka isn’t a wall filled with Bealer’s prints, however, it is a collection of over 50 paintings by Lawrie and his literary collaborator, Maite Lorente, which illuminate the lives of these remarkable people.
“Eric identified – if you like – as a squirrel, and boy, it is appropriate,” said Lawrie. “I don’t know if you’ve ever met him but he’s very frenetic. Like a squirrel. His wife Pam, more grounded, more solid to the earth. She identified with bear, so that’s how the title came about.”
“They’re all paintings that describe the Bealers,” Lawrie said. “There are several portraits. The home, the interior of the home, the exterior of the home. Basically, I became an illustrator in this series of paintings, I suppose it would be fair to say. I think they explain their lives – this whole thing will help explain their lives.”“They’re all paintings that describe the Bealers,” Lawrie said. “There are several portraits. The home, the interior of the home, the exterior of the home. Basically, I became an illustrator in this series of paintings, I suppose it would be fair to say. I think they explain their lives – this whole thing will help explain their lives.”
