Young Claire Fejes was a promising sculptor and painter in New York City in 1946, when her husband gave in to “gold fever”. She held the unconventional view that her career was as important as his. Bu
Young Claire Fejes was a promising sculptor and painter in New York City in 1946, when her husband gave in to “gold fever”. She held the unconventional view that her career was as important as his. But in those days, a woman followed her husband, so Claire did - to Fairbanks, last stop on the Alaska Railroad, in the heart of the immense northern territory, where Joe Fejes intended to mine for gold. In a refreshingly candid memoir, Claire describes a remote outpost where the young couple joins a hardy breed of Alaskans who transform loneliness into powerful friendships and where the artist overcomes soul-aching cultural isolation.
The late Claire Fejes is considered to be one of Alaska's finest artists. She made a name for herself by traveling to the Arctic to paint Eskimo whaling camps, and to the Yukon River to paint Indian life. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in Europe, North America, and Asia. She also was a writer and was author of the northern best-seller, People of the Noatak.
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