Kristin Link is a science illustrator, field artist, and writer based in an off-the-grid cabin near McCarthy, Alaska, on the edge of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, which is Ahtna Athabaskan land. Her work combines careful observation, scientific accuracy, and drawing from life to communicate the complexity and beauty of the natural world.

Kristin holds a graduate certificate in science illustration from California State University Monterey Bay and a BA in Conservation Biology and Studio Art from Middlebury College. Her illustration work appears in visitor centers, along Alaska highways, in museum exhibitions, and in publications including the New York Times, Earth Island Journal, Montana Outdoors Magazine, and Edible Alaska Magazine. She has created interpretive signage and educational materials for the National Park Service, Prince William Sound Science Center, Copper River Watershed Project, and many other clients. Her weekly nature journal column, illustrated in pen and watercolor, runs in the Copper River Record.

Her first book, Discover the Art of Field Sketching (Timber Press, April 2026), draws on over a decade of teaching field sketching in Alaska and beyond. She teaches workshops for adults and works as a science communication and field sketching instructor for wilderness college programs, including the Wrangell Mountains Field Studies course. She has led artist-in-schools residencies in rural Alaska communities from Gambell to Metlakatla.

Kristin's fine art practice explores northern landscapes shaped by ice, light, and seasonal change. She has exhibited widely across Alaska, with upcoming exhibitions at the International Gallery for Contemporary Art in Anchorage, the Bear Gallery in Fairbanks, and the Bunnell Street Arts Center in Homer. She is currently an artist fellow with In a Time of Change Coastal Transitions. Her work has been recognized with two Individual Artist Project Awards from the Rasmuson Foundation, Alaska Press Club Awards for illustration, and purchases by the Alaska State Contemporary Art Bank.

Banner Photo by Dave Sarbell

Awards & Grants:

  • Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Project Awards (2012, 2023)

  • Interface of Change Fellowship, In a Time of Change Coastal Transitions, Alaska EPSCoR (2026–current)

  • Alaska Press Club Award for Best Illustration, Copper River Record (2022)

  • Alaska Press Club Award for Best Illustration, Edible Alaska Magazine (2021)

  • Adaptation and Innovation Grant, Alaska State Council on the Arts (2021)

  • Alaska Humanities Forum Grant, McCarthy Mail Shack Community Mural (2017)

  • Alaska State Council on the Arts Career Opportunity Grants (2011, 2017)

Residencies:

  • Dalton Highway Artist Residency, Toolik Field Station, Bureau of Land Management (2023)

  • Jenni House Artist Residency, Yukon Arts Center, Whitehorse, Canada (2020)

  • Artist at Sea Residency, Hatfield Marine Science Center & Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (2019)

  • Public Lands Artist Residency, Chilkoot Trail (2018)

  • Voices of the Wilderness Residency, Prince William Sound (2017)

  • Public Lands Artist Residency, Joshua Tree National Park, CA (2016)

  • Public Lands Artist Residency, Gates of the Arctic National Park (2011)

Clients include:

Ahtna Heritage Foundation, Alaska Business Magazine, Alaska Geographic, Alaska Regional National Park Service, Association of Alaska School Boards, Columbia University, Chugach National Forest, Colorado State University, Copper River Native Association, Copper River Record, Copper River Watershed Project, Earth Island Journal, Edible Alaska Magazine, Farthest North Films, Inspiring Girls Expeditions, Island Press, Keys to Life, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Mesa Verde National Park, Montana Outdoors Magazine, Overstory Consulting, Partnow Consulting, Prince William Sound Science Center, Porphyry Press, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Woodwell Climate Research Center, Wonder U, Wrangell Mountains Center.

Kristin's work is inspired by place. Spending time in the backcountry (in Alaska and beyond) and making artwork in the field are important to her practice. Above photos: Artist in residence with Gates of the Arctic National Park (photo by Richard Kahn); Teaching field sketching on the edge of the Juneau Icefield (photo by Kristin Link); Sketching on the Grand Canyon (photo by Greg Runyan); Inside a sketchbook on the Noatak River (photo by Richard Kahn).

Press and Other Sources: