JoAnn George : Biography

JoAnn George is primarily a wildlife artist, though she also does some landscapes and embossing. Says George, who lives in a small Alaskan Native village close to Juneau, “I draw my inspiration from my Tlingit family and Angoon’s natural surroundings—a land of intense and powerful beauty. I feel very fortunate to lead a unique lifestyle and also be able to do the work I love.”

JoAnn George’s artwork reflects her life in the Tlingit Indian village of Angoon, Alaska, where she has lived since 1967. Born and raised in New Hampshire, she earned a degree in earth science before moving to Angoon to teach school. In this remote village, she met and married Gabriel George, a fish biologist and sport fishing guide.

JoAnn was introduced into Tlingit culture through her marriage and subsequent life in Angoon, interpreting this knowledge through her artwork. Her original colored-ink drawings, paintings, collages, etchings, and reproductions depict the richness of Tlingit life and legend, as well as views of Southeast Alaska and its abundant wildlife.

Angoon, seventy miles south of Juneau, Alaska, is nestled in the Admiralty Island National Monument and Kootsnoowoo Wilderness. This million-acre island is a bald eagle preserve and home to one of the largest brown bear populations in the world. Between mountain and sea, JoAnn spends her hours hiking, boating and observing in the forests and inlets of the area, where bears, eagles, whales and other wildlife roam freely as they have for thousands of years.

The mother of two grown children, Scott and Shgen-doo-tan, JoAnn and her husband live in the Killerwhale Clan House on Angoon waterfront.

As a professional artist, JoAnn has received recognition and awards, including an award for excellence from the National Parks and Monuments Association for illustrations in “Carved History”. Her work was included in the “1984 Calendar of Women Artists” and she received a commission from Sea World of San Diego to produce limited edition prints dedicated for the new killer whale stadium in 1987. She was selected “1990 Artist of the Year” by Who’s Who in Alaska Arts and Crafts.