Sketching and Filming The Drive To Seward Alaska
Come with me and my family (kitty included) as we travel from Anchorage to Seward Alaska for a weekend with family, hidden treasures, and time well spent sketching the coziest town in Alaska.
The drive from Anchorage to Seward along the famed Seward Highway is sight to behold, but also an adventure in and of itself. Depending on the time of year and weather, it can be an uneventful 2.5 hour drive, or an all day test of your patience. No matter, it’s rich in history with plenty of spectacular pull-offs to inspire a whole sketchbook of drawings and paintings.
While not the smoothest or straightest drive for turning a passenger seat into a mobile studio, it’s an interactive and fun way to pass the time. While the landscape zips by, in order to catch the magical sites you have to be more aware and present. Being distracted may mean missing the Moose, or quick glimpses of the historical Ghost Forest of Girdwood.
Our weekend in Seward was short, attempting to film and sketch the moments to connect with the place and my family, while also capturing the memories — it’s a little extra work. Yet, re-living the weekend through both my video and sketchbook reminds me of my Grandma Lu, who always made time to sketch the places she visited.
So I hope you enjoyed this trip to Seward with me and my family, and I hope it sparks a sense of curiosity and wonder in your own art practice. You don’t need much. Nor do you need to film, too! But with a few simple art supplies, a curious spirit and maybe a good set of binoculars (it’s best to observe places like the mud flats and wildlife from a safe distance) — you can capture your next weekend adventure through a few lines, some thoughtful notes, and your imagination.
To help you past the first few marks, how about we sketch and paint a sea otter together? They are the cutest subject!
About Max Romey:
Based in Anchorage, AK, Romey uses his unique blend of watercolors and videography to highlight complex environmental problems affecting his Alaskan and global communities. His visual style blends hand-painted watercolors and animation with cinematic videography to create films that help make environmental challenges more relatable.
