Alice Rieder Wilkerson — Alaska Reflections

Alice Rieder Wilkerson — Valdez Alaska 

Date: 1993
Medium: Watercolor
Dimensions: 18' x 16"
Signature: left bottom A Wilk

Valdez Alaska is one of Alice Rieder Wilkerson’s most accomplished landscape watercolors, portraying the dramatic beauty of the Alaskan wilderness. Painted in 1993, the work shows towering, snow-covered peaks rising behind rolling green ridges, with their forms mirrored in the still, icy water below.

Rieder’s handling of watercolor is exceptionally confident here—crisp whites and cool mineral grays capture the rugged geometry of the mountains, while soft washes and blended tones evoke mist, distance, and atmosphere. The lake’s reflection is rendered with remarkable precision, creating a shimmering, dreamlike surface that anchors the entire composition.

A small foreground of wild grasses and a single evergreen provide scale and intimacy, pulling the viewer gently into the vastness of the scene. This painting reflects Rieder’s deep connection to sweeping natural landscapes and remains one of her most serene and technically refined works.