Ute Jefferis Woodworking

Artist Ute Jefferis lives and works in the small community of Port Protection on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Port Protection has a population of about 45 people. Her medium is wood intarsia: she uses various shapes, sizes and species of wood, and pieces them together to create a mosaic-like image with visual depth. She uses various Alaskan woods to create her pieces and also works with scraps that she's given.

Ute has been working with wood for almost 10 years, and is inspired to create during the long dark Alaskan winters. Before she started working as an artist, Ute fished commercially for salmon on her boat, the Valeta H.

For as long as she can remember, Ute has been an artist. She first started working with wood after she and her husband built a house in Port Protection. Noticing their yard was full of scrap wood, she knew that the leftover cedar could be made into something beautiful. She focuses mainly on Alaskan wildlife as her subject matter.

Ute's pieces are finished with a varnish to help protect the wood, and are ready to hang.