Petersburg Pilot -

Submitted Photo

A painting by local artist, Don Cornelius, has received international recognition. The painting "Breakup on Portage Lake" depicts an abstracted view of Alaska's Portage Lake during spring breakup. Cornelius based the painting on a photograph he took of the scene during the spring of 2010. Compared to when he first visited the setting in 1965, the glacier has long since retreated around a corner with only a few small icebergs visible along the near shore. Soon, in response to Alaska's warming climate, Portage Glacier will retreat onto land and the only icebergs will be those pieces of ice, abstracted here in this painting, that linger during winter's retreat. Breakup on Portage Lake will appear in the National Weather Center second Biennale which opens on Earth Day, April 19 at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. This juried show features 88 paintings and photographs depicting weather and its impact on the human experience submitted by artists from around the world. The exhibit will run through June 14, 2015.