Gift Shop Artist of the Month: Anya Toelle

Featured: October 7–28, 2022

Gift Shop Hours: Monday–Saturday, 12-6 p.m.

Anya Toelle is an Alaska-based artist who uses acrylic paint to capture the beauty of her home state.

Anya was born and raised in Fairbanks (Tanana lands), where she attended two years of college at University of Alaska Fairbanks. She then headed south to Anchorage (Dena’ina lands), where she completed her degree at University of Alaska Anchorage, earning a BA in Painting and a Minor in History in August of 2019.

Throughout Anya’s life, she has been lucky enough to experience all aspects of Alaska; from up north in the Brooks Range (Koyukon & Inupiat lands), to the southern end of Alaska (Dena’ina & Alutiiq lands) and everywhere in between. This has had a major impact on how Anya views the land.

The time and detail she puts into her paintings have helped Anya appreciate all the little things that make up the vast landscapes, from the rocks and trees to the complex shades and shadows created from snow.