#11 • Rie Munoz "Gardnerville, Salt Chuck, Alaska" Painted Hide c.1960

Part of September 2025 Premier Auction (live auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $1,700.00

Status: Sold

Category: Art

An extremely unusual and large original acrylic painting on Sitka blacktail deer hide titled "Gardnerville Salt Chuck Alaska" by noted late Alaskan artist Rie Munoz (1921-2015). Signed and dated 1960 in the lower right, this very early example from the artist's body of work depicts the Southeast Alaskan community of Gardnerville at Salt Chuck, a small settlement at the head of Kassan Bay on Prince of Wales Island. Rie raised her family here for a brief number of years in the late 1950s. The colorful scene is vividly decorated with rustic wooden homes, sheds, and a tall timber structure set against a backdrop of dense forest and blue-toned mountains. Along the shoreline, figures are shown engaged in daily activity, with boats pulled up on the beach and surrounding details suggesting logging or fishing work. Executed in bold, impressionistic strokes of green, blue, and ochre, the composition captures the character of a mid-20th-century remote coastal settlement. The image is painted directly onto natural tanned Alaskan deer hide, which is stretched over a rectangular wooden frame and secured with rawhide lacing. An uncommon early example of Munoz's work, painted long before she gained broader recognition for her watercolors and prints. Pieces on hide from this formative "Prospecting" period are especially scarce and offer a rare look at the artist's evolving style and lifelong focus on Alaskan community life. The hide retains its organic, irregular edges and shows minor age staining, wear, and small holes consistent with the material, while the painted surface remains vibrant and detailed. Measures approximately 44" x 55" overall; the hide alone measures approximately 35" x 43", with the image measuring approximately 28" x 37". Note Regarding Shipping Services: This item is exceptionally large and/or heavy, and may require custom boxing or crating depending on the intended destination and available carrier services. For more information prior to bidding, please email us at Shipping@AlaskaPremierAuctions.com or call/text us at 907.570.7050.