Sarah Melissa Whalen is a Alaska Native Artist with a Inupiaq heritage based here in Anchorage Alaska. Born and partially raised in Indiana there never seemed to be a strong tie to her Native roots which now as a adult and mother of three, she constantly tries to learn more and explore. Art has been a constant in her life including various mediums such as oils, ink, mosaic and carving to name a few. When asked about her art she will tell you, “ I see the links to my past, my upbringing and all the things I have done and witnessed that have brought me to this point. All the painful, joyful and challenging moments that comes into focus through my work. My artwork usually stems from something I feel deeply compelled to render or some persistent image lodged in my mind.  I reconcile this condition by drawing or painting to more fully comprehend this mental state.  Creativity has always had a way of keeping me sane and well balanced.  The creative act allows me to find a way of representing my feelings.  This approach usually turns into a series of studies and research and then artwork.  The results almost always having to do with the human condition in one way or another. My process has never been organized.  It is way more instinctual, filled with shear emotion and feelings. I have always had a hard time expressing my emotions that may be on the more sensitive side, so I find myself doing it with my artwork instead in hopes that they can represent my views on the world. My goal is to create work that can touch on some unexpressed feeling in others and give them hope, make them curious and contemplative of life. I want to make someone feel the way I do when I see a piece of art I really connect with. This in fact maybe my favorite part, the emotionally interactive aspect of art that we can all touch upon whether viewing or creating.  Deeply meaningful, and so painfully personal, it is the reason I started creating and the reason I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.”