06/08/2025
Meet Rosie, one of the amazing youth artists in our 2025 Youth Artist-in-Residence Program!
Rosie’s mixed-media painting highlights how the Klondike Gold Rush changed Seattle’s land, water, and people. Her artwork shows flounder trapped in sawdust, tree rings from the lumber industry, and different ships to show the shift from Indigenous to industrial use of the bay. Using gold leaf, gouache, and colored pencil, Rosie tells the story of a city shaped by growth and change.
Artist’s statement:
“Last year, in my AP 2-D Art class, I made several scenes around an inquiry of water, varying from portraits to environmental landscape scenes to still lifes. I most often work with acrylic or gouache paints but have recently been experimenting with a mix of media, integrating paper mâché, gold leaf, crayon, colored pencil, and/or construction paper into my paintings. In my painting for Klondike, I wanted to integrate gold leaf, gouache, and colored pencil to best represent Seattle’s evolution during the Gold Rush.”
About the program:
In partnership with Discover Your Northwest, this internship offered youth artists a chance to grow as visual artists while learning about the history and environmental effects of the Klondike Gold Rush in Seattle. To help guide their work, youth collaborated with National Park Service staff to gain historical insight and inspiration for their artwork. Park staff mentored youth artists on interviewing techniques and how to use what they learned to create art to educate, connect, and share stories with the public.
[Image Description: A vibrant painting blends city life, railroads, and ocean travel into one scene.]
