First Friday with Don Decker & Christine Kleinhenz

My Floating World by Don Decker & Silver Salmon Cycle by Christine Kleinhenz of Tide Watcher

On View: May 2 – 31, 2025
First Friday Opening Reception:
Friday, May 2, 5 – 7 p.m.

Join Fairbanks Arts in the Bear Gallery this May for two exhibitions
featuring new work by Christine Kleinhenz of Tide Watcher that bring
together her love of fishing and children’s book creation and a collection by Don
Decker that explore the Buddhist concept of Ukiyo-e, or the Floating World.
Silver Salmon Cycle by Juneau-based artist and gallery owner Christine Kleinhenz of
Tide Watcher is a vibrant and immersive exhibition that brings together her love of
fishing and children’s book creation. Each painting tells a part of the salmon’s
journey, capturing its environment, surrounding fauna, and predators in rich detail.
My Floating World, by Don Decker, draws inspiration from the Buddhist concept of
Ukiyo-e, or the Floating World—a vision of life that embraces its fleeting, transient
nature. “As I age, the realization of the ephemeral nature of the world, and of myself
in it, is more acute. I see in the landscape the constant daily, seasonal, and lifelong
changes, which then inspire my art. I use those impressions as points of departure,
working in the studio to experiment and develop ideas into complete works.” Decker
lives in Anchorage where he has recently completed 25 years as Adjunct Professor of
Drawing and Design at the University of Alaska Anchorage

Learn more about our May exhibitors at fairbanksarts.org!