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Shore Troopers by Denise Ekstrand 

History

Denise Ekstrand's Shore Troopers grabs my attention due to my long-time love for the Star Wars series. The artist's works take a fun twist on recognizable popular pop culture themes but replace the characters with Alaskan animals. The Star Wars series includes the use of animals that best fit the theme of the characters. Storm Troopers traditionally are clones in white armor that fight together in large groups; Seagulls were an excellent animal to use. Originally painted with watercolor on 12 x 16" paper, I could not find the date of completion for this art piece. Mrs. Ekstrand is a local Alaskan artist who owns Regal Alaskans-Denise Ekstrand Illustrations. I am unsure where she resides, but I have personally met her at summer events where she has a vendor booth. She appears to be taking a break from crafting artwork. Her website and Esty store cannot be viewed at this time, but limited pieces of her artwork can be found at Sevigny Studio, a local gallery in Anchorage. I own two of her other works of art, Dark Feathers and EwOtt, which hang in my home's office area. I would love to complete the paintings she has created for this pop cultured theme saga. 

Tone
This artwork has dark and light vibes; the backdrop consists of warm and cool tones that give it an eerie feel; I am aware they are on the dark side of the force. The shore troopers wear bright armor, making them stand out like stars in this art piece; my eyes are instantly drawn to them. Behind the soldiers is a blazing sky of warmth and dark; I feel their sense of urgency while heading into battle. Warmth brings a minute amount of light over the darkness, but shadows loom sinisterly—the fiery dusk hazes over the moon. Think dark outlines of birds flying over the moon do not look like shore troopers; in the Star Wars series, their bright trooper uniforms shield their dark leader as they march into combat.   

Color

Black darkness is brightened up with warm orange tones scattered across the sky. The pale yellow moon shines brightly through the black night sky with a dark silhouette of birds flying across. Warm fiery colors overpower the darkness and bring focus and shine to the shore troopers in their white armor. The sky reminds me of flashes coming from the weapons used in battle like it has already begun, with the combatants in the artwork holding the line. In the backdrop, the mountains and water remain dark the bright white armor on the gulls is the main focus of this art piece. Wide Bright yellow eyes and sharp dark pupils on the gulls leave me with an uneasy feeling; their eyes are not welcoming. The shore troopers' eyes tell me they mean business; they have been given a task to fulfilled even in the event of their death. Their eyes say, "Good soldiers follow orders." (Kotor, Good Soldiers Follow Orders).

Texture

When I look at this art piece, it seems that the shore troopers were sent on a mission to attack me; they are coming toward me, ready to attack. I think the soldiers are marching forward aggressively with puffed and ruffled feathers. The background's texture insinuates movement; the water current flows, the bird silhouettes fly through the sky, and the dark clouds in the sky glide across the moon. An illusion of movement is emitted even though the shore troopers being painted in a smooth, opaque way may make them appear stationary. The gull's eyes are simply drawn, bright yellow circles with a smaller black pupil and small white highlight, but so realistic I can see them blink. When I glance at the artwork, I feel them staring back at me but looking through me; I am someone standing in their way. The shore troopers' eyes tell me they have a job to do, and nothing will stop or stand in their way.  

     Works Cited  

 Ekstrand, Denise. “Regal Alaskans - Denise Ekstrand Illustrations.” Facebook, 3 July 2012, https://www.facebook.com/RegalAlaskans.

Kotor. “Good Soldiers Follow Orders.” Know Your Meme, 17 Dec. 2021, https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/good-soldiers-follow-orders.

Sevigny, Katie. “Denise Ekstrand.” Sevigny Studio, 2022, https://sevignystudio.com/pages/denise-ekstrand.