Artist Alert! An Interview with Jacob Reyes
At Leader Creek, we value the individuality of each member of our seasonal team. When our employees aren’t slayin’ fish, they are often using their hard earned Alaska money to pursue other journeys and passions whether it be travel, school, or other careers. In this post you will learn about long time LCF employee, Jacob Reyes, describing how Alaska has inspired the art he creates post season.
MUDROOM by Jacob Reyes
NAKNEK
Interview by Carol Perez
Jacob is a supervisor in one of our departments. Over the years he has been able to hone in on his ability to capture the details that many of us might gloss over while working in a processing plant. Jacob has been able to view the work at Leader Creek Fisheries in a slightly different way—through a paintbrush. His latest Naknek inspired art had over twenty current and former LCF employees asking “Can I buy a print of this?!”
Q: Can you tell me a bit about the two pieces that you submitted to us?
A: "Mudroom" is a watercolor. For me it's another image with a lot of memory attached to it. Living in the trailers that were only around a few years. Dirty, smelly Xtratufs and work clothes is something we can all relate to who have passed through LCF. Unless they got the grey Northerner or Grunden boots but either way still pretty much the same.
Let's see, the "Naknek" is acrylic on canvas. Didn't need much convincing to do it. That scenery pretty much speaks for itself. Iconic for most who have been through LCF and especially so for those who return year after year. Was done in 2016
Q: How many years have you worked at LCF?
A: Since 2012, 8 years
Q: What brought you to Alaska?
A: My brother suggested I come up and try LCF. He'd been working at LCF a few years at the time.
Q: What type of work did you do before starting at LCF?
A: Retail and tech support—both major drags
Q: What keeps bringing you back to Alaska?
A: Getting paid to learn things I'd normally have to pay to learn. There's always a challenge of some kind.
Q: How does Alaska and LCF inspire you as an artist?
A: The scenery and unique lifestyle help.
Q: Has working in Alaska changed you as a person or as an artist?
A: If it hasn't then I'm not doing it right. I feel like it's impossible to work in Alaska and not have some change or growth as a person.
Q: Can you describe your favorite art piece that was inspired by Alaska?
A: Graveyard by Beth Hill. A fisherman dragging a net with some salmon with the most exhausted and defeated posture but no sign of quitting. Just reminds me of how I've persisted through some awful conditions, whether it be life or work, and still managed to get through it all by never giving up.
Q: Are you currently working on anything now?
A: A triptych of the Boomer. [For those of you who don’t know the “Boomer” is what we call our Dock].
Q: Is there anywhere we can check out more of your work?
A: Instagram, @fatboionadiet