About
Leighan was born and raised in Alaska, and has always felt the power of its landscape. Though she has traveled to many of the world ‘s great mountain ranges, she finds her home of the Alaska Range to be the most sublime of all.
Ever since she can remember, she has been called to high, wild places, making art along the way. Combining work with passion, she worked as a high-altitude expedition guide on Denali (North America’s tallest peak) for nearly a decade. Having reached its summit seven times, she has also made numerous expeditions to many of Alaska’s ethereal settings, bringing a sketchbook in lieu of other entertainment.
Additionally, she comes from a long line of pilots and has spent most of the recent decade employed as a glacier pilot almost the giants of the Alaska Range. “Incredible inspiration arises from regularly encountering unique vantage points not available to most artists. I get to fly through my subject matter almost daily.”
She makes her home within sight of Denali in the tiny village of Talkeetna, Alaska with her helicopter ski guide partner, 2 daughters, and a rough looking bush plane nearing its 70th birthday.
Artist Statement
The Raven is has been my nickname for my adult life.
It was a given, not chosen name, as people say my imitation of the bird’s caw is eerily accurate. I am almost always found wearing black, adorned with dark hair and a black airplane to match. Ravens are such a fascinating and dictomus species, able to survive in an astounding variety of environments. I have witnessed them in 100+ degree heat in the desert, -60 cold in the Alaskan interior, and as high as 18,000’ on Denali. They are mysterious, aloof, playful, intelligent mountain- dwelling tricksters… dressed simply in black. Perhaps most importantly, they can eat garbage and thrive. KORAX is a play on the Latin name for the Raven, and a fitting moniker for my art.
I hope to show my viewers my own very personal relationship with the landscape as both a pilot and a mountaineer. I am fascinated what I call the ‘‘zenith features,” beautiful and often hostile expressions of nature. Often painting from personal photographs (or those of family and friends), I also draw on my very personal experiences built from years of raw, uncurated adventures in wilderness. The fear, joy, awe, anticipation, vulnerability, spirituality, and humility character my work in a way that lends a depth to the images.
Sincerely,
Leighan Falley
Denali’s Raven