Bardarson’s ‘It’s Offishal’ chosen for Anchorage show

CINTHIA RITCHIE

June 19, 2008 at 3:15PM AKST

They’re plump. And flirty. And not at all for eating, but who cares.

The designs featured in this year’s sixth annual Wild Salmon on Parade were recently reeled in and released. Soon 20 gap-mouthed and smiling fish artworks will be mounted in various locations around downtown Anchorage.

Local artist Dot Bardarson’s “It’s Offishal” piece was chosen to take part in the parade.

Her brightly painted salmon, which sports the stars and stripes of both the Alaska and United States flag, will be displayed at Holland America, Fourth Avenue and H Street in downtown Anchorage through summer.

This year’s theme was Alaska’s 50 Years of Statehood and the artists, who typically go a bit wild with their salmon art, have pieces ranging from “Transalm’ Alaska Pipeline” (complete with a miniature pipeline), “Glam Sam” and “Salmon Cake,” with a yummy birthday cake and a party hat perched jauntily on that happy salmon’s head.

Debbie Dubac’s “Uncle Salm The Frontier ‘Fin’ atic” is a wonderful example of fish art at it’s tackiest and most delightful best. The piece has a salmon stuffed inside an Uncle Sam suit, its fishy face peering out with the snazzy look of a politician about to snatch your favorite fishing hole.

When Bardarson heard of the theme, she immediately thought of the American and Alaska flags and how she might combine them.

“I was at Fort McHenry, pushing a stroller with two kids and pregnant, when they raised the first 49-star flag, so it had real meaning for me,” she said.

The fiberglass fish are supplied to the artists by the Wild Salmon on Parade committee, with three different-sized fins. Bardarson’s were medium, about 40 inches long.

She designed her salmon with the number 49 on a large star, using the three main colors flag colors: red, blue and yellow.

The process didn’t always go smoothly.

“Since my fish design was strictly paint, it was a matter of figuring out where to start, how to do two sides without smudging the paint,” she said. “Art always takes longer than you think it will.”

In the middle of creating her design, Bardarson had abdominal surgery and had to scramble to finish.

“One of the challenges was adhering the fins,” she said. “In the process, glue spilled out of the joints, rolled around the other side and stuck the fish to the paper. I had to repaint part of the fish. In fact, there was a lot of repair painting, where things didn’t go as planned.”

She’s not sure how long the project took since she worked in increments, waiting for one color to dry before applying another.

“I worked back and forth from side to side, each time improving the lines,” she said.

In September, the Wild Salmon on Parade art leave the comforts of their downtown display locations and head for their final spawning grounds, the annual Fish and Buy dinner auction. Proceeds from salmon purchases fund Camp Fire USA, the Anchorage Concert Association and the Alaska Conservation Foundation.

Cinthia Ritchie can be reached at (907) 342-2428 or toll free at (800) 770-9830, ext. 428.