Jennifer’s Upcoming Exhibition Information

Where Wild Feels Like Home

A new collection of large-scale and small-scale original paintings by Jennifer McCombs, inspired by Alaska’s mountains, wildlife, water, light, and the moments that make wild places feel like home.

Where Wild Feels Like Home is an exhibition of large- and small-scale original paintings by Girdwood artist Jennifer McCombs, presented at Girdwood Brewing Company on November 21, 2026. Inspired by Alaska’s mountains, wildlife, water, and changing light, the collection explores the emotional connection between people and the wild places they call home. Drawing on her experiences skiing, exploring, and raising a family in Alaska, McCombs brings personal memories into landscapes filled with color, movement, and quiet moments. Through scenes of mountain adventure, familiar wildlife, and the northern lights above home, she invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences of belonging in nature.

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2026

Location: Girdwood Brewing Company

2700 Alyeska Highway, Girdwood, Alaska

Time: 1 - 7 pm, live acoustic music 3 - 6 pm

Artist Statement

I paint the emotional experience of mountain life—the freedom of moving through wild places and the comfort of feeling at home within them. Living in Girdwood, Alaska, I find both adventure and a sense of safety in the mountains, water, and northern landscapes around me. My paintings explore that connection through scenes of skiing, wildlife, changing light, and quiet moments outdoors.

Photography has been part of how I notice and remember places since childhood. In my studio, I return to photographs, sketches, and memories, selecting and combining the details that carry the strongest feeling. Working with acrylic paints and mediums, I shape color, light, and movement to invite viewers into each scene. I want a painting to hold something of the experience: the glow of snow at sunset, the movement of water, or the warmth of a home beneath the aurora.

I have developed my painting practice through independent study, learning landscape techniques primarily through video lessons by Bob Ross and Bill Alexander. Their approaches to creating light, depth, and atmosphere continue to influence my work. Jon Van Zyle’s storytelling through people, animals, and place has encouraged me to explore how my own experiences can become stories in paint.

Nature has brought me comfort through loss and helped me see what matters most in my life. Painting is how I share those experiences. Through my work, I invite you to remember the places where you feel most alive, connected, and at home.

Artist Bio

Jennifer McCombs paints the moments that make wild places feel like home: skiing with her sons beneath an alpenglow sky, watching wildlife on a mountainside, and standing beneath the northern lights with a beloved dog nearby. Based in Girdwood, Alaska, she creates paintings that explore the emotional experience of mountain life—the exhilaration of adventure, the comfort of familiar places, and the sense of belonging found outdoors.

Her way of seeing began with a Polaroid camera, given to her on her sixth birthday. From childhood travels to days spent hiking and skiing, she collected photographs of places and moments she wanted to remember. After her brother died in a motorcycle accident, nature became a source of comfort. The mountains and trails offered space to grieve, notice beauty, and feel connected to life again.

Years later, while her children were young, a local Paint Nite event introduced McCombs to another way of holding onto those experiences. Painting gave her the freedom to shape a scene around what mattered most to her. Today, she returns to her photographs and memories, selecting and combining details to convey how a place felt. Working primarily in acrylics, with watercolor and sketching also part of her practice, she uses color, light, and movement to bring those experiences onto canvas.

Her paintings range from expansive mountain scenes to intimate encounters with Alaska’s wildlife and water. A glowing sky recalls an evening shared with family; a cabin beneath the aurora holds the warmth of home within a vast winter landscape. Through these scenes, she invites viewers to remember their own moments outdoors and the places they carry with them.

McCombs has exhibited at Grace Ridge Brewing and Girdwood Center for Visual Arts, and her work has appeared in the DKG International Art Gallery’s online exhibitions. Her artwork is also available at Roundhouse at Alyeska Museum & Gift Shop and Powder Hound Ski Shop.

Her commitment to connection extends beyond the canvas. She serves as Executive Director of the Roundhouse at Alyeska Museum & Gift Shop and volunteers as co-founder and Executive Director of Girdwood Arts Council, working to expand creative opportunities and develop more space for the arts in Girdwood. Through teaching painting and yoga and leading creative wellness retreats, she helps others make room for creativity and time in nature—the same experiences that continue to inspire her work.

Artist CV

Solo Exhibitions

2026 (November 21, upcoming), Where Wild Feels Like Home, Girdwood Brewing Company, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

2024 (October), Monthly Featured Artist exhibition, Girdwood Center for Visual Arts, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

2024 (April), Solo exhibition, Grace Ridge Brewing, Homer, Alaska, United States.

Group Exhibitions

2026 (February–present), Online group exhibition, DKG International Art Gallery (online).

gallery.dkg.org/index.php/painting-pastel/

Awards

2025 (fall), Community Arts Development Grant, Alaska State Council on the Arts, United States. Organizational recipient: Girdwood Inc. Role: grant writer and project lead; developed and submitted the application and served as primary contact.

Lectures / Teaching / Artist Talks

2026 (July 24–26), Creative Wellness Retreat, artist, organizer and retreat leader, Palmer, Alaska, United States.

2023–present, Landscape Acrylic Workshops, art teacher, Anchorage, Girdwood, Palmer and Cooper Landing, Alaska, United States.

2024–2025, Landscape Painting Series (10 weeks), art teacher, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

2023–2025, Art & Yoga Retreats, artist, organizer and retreat leader, Palmer, Alaska, United States.

2009–2014; 2023–present, Weekly Community Yoga Classes, yoga teacher, Girdwood, Alaska, United States. Whittier classes: November 2025–February 2026; resuming November 2026.

Articles / Reviews

2025 (February), Featured guest interview, Landmark Collective Podcast (audio interview).

Education

2013, Master of Business Administration, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, United States.

2007, Bachelor of Business Administration, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma, United States.

CYT-200 Yoga Teacher Certification.

Artist Cooperative Membership

2024–2026, Member Artist, Girdwood Center for Visual Arts, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

Retail Outlets

2026 (September–present), Powder Hound Ski Shop, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

2026 (March–August), Art Gallery at Girdwood Gear Exchange, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

2022–present, Roundhouse at Alyeska Museum & Gift Shop, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

2023–2024, Flamingo Market, Anchorage, Alaska, United States.

Art Markets

2022–2026, Girdwood Holiday Bazaar, Girdwood, Alaska, United States (2026 participation upcoming).

2022–2024, Girdwood Forest Fair, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

2023, Captain Cook Holiday Bazaar, Anchorage, Alaska, United States.

Professional Arts Leadership

2024–present, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Girdwood Arts Council, Girdwood, Alaska, United States.

2023–present, Executive Director, Roundhouse at Alyeska Museum & Gift Shop, Girdwood, Alaska, United States. Lead museum and gift shop operations, cultivate artist relationships and acquire artwork for the gift shop.

2023–2024, President, Girdwood Health Clinic Board, Girdwood, Alaska, United States. Led the request for proposals process to select artwork for the clinic.

Creative Projects

In development: Art in Alaska podcast, co-host, project with Girdwood Arts Council.

Contact Information

PO Box 727, Girdwood, Alaska, United States

Jennifer@activemountaindesign.com | 907.382.1102
activemountaindesign.com | activemountainyoga.com | girdwoodarts.org