At Anderson Design Group, we encourage a four-part recipe of Explore, Experience, Decorate, and Commemorate. For our part, we visit beautiful destinations around the world, make art of them, and then decorate with that art.
And we invite you to travel and decorate with the art of your adventures!
The over 3,000 original illustrations we've produced over the years are reminiscent of early 20th-century vintage poster art, also known as the Golden Age of Illustration, a time period that coincided with the launch of the interstate highway system and the growing availability of commercial air travel.
Below, our 63 National Park Adventure Guide in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park:
Yes, our art might look old, but it is new and original, made in our Nashville studio by our small team of award-winning artists and illustrators. It captures some of that same magic that folks felt a century ago when domestic and international travel became broadly accessible to the public.
How do we make art that feels as though it transports you to the very places it depicts? As often as we can, we travel to the places we make art of. Case in point, last summer we sent staff writer Ren Brabenec (that’s me!) to Alaska with collaborating artist Kenneth Crane to visit not one, not two, not three, but FOUR national parks!
Below, our art in two Alaskan parks, Kobuk Valley and Wrangell-St. Elias:
We could write a full series of blogs about just that one trip alone, but for now, we’ll keep it brief. Here are five quick tips in five short paragraphs. The following is essential information you absolutely must know before traveling to Alaska.
Before we move on to the tips, get inspired by watching the short YouTube reel below, featuring ADG art and products, shot on location in four parks: Kobuk Valley, Gates of the Arctic, Denali, and Wrangell-St. Elias.
Tip #1: Plan and Pack for Any Weather (And We Mean ANY Weather)
We mean it when we say Alaska can produce just about any weather, even at the apex of the popular summer travel season. When we traveled to The Last Frontier last summer, we experienced 70F+ weather on the dry, sunkissed dunes of Kobuk Valley National Park. A few days later, we were hiking through a lush, verdant forest in Denali National Park and it was about 60F and felt like a temperate rainforest. Then we backpacked in the mountains in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The nights got down to 30F with rain and wind while the days soared to 75F with full sun exposure and no tree cover. Good thing we had warm sleeping bags, sunscreen, and rain gear!
Rain gear and waterproof hiking boots are essential in Alaska. See below:
Tip #2: Hire an Experienced Guide
Alaska is not for the faint of heart, especially if you plan to go off the beaten path and backpack in parks that have no trails, buildings, campgrounds, or designated infrastructure and easily identifiable recreation areas. We hired Expeditions Alaska to guide our five-day Wrangell-St. Elias National Park backpacking trip, and we’re very glad we did. Hiring a guide gives you access to local Alaskan knowledge, which includes valuable insights on weather, wildlife, topography, geography, repair skills, first aid, how to get around, what is and isn't safe to forage, and basic wilderness problem-solving.
Below, our art coming with us as we explored Kobuk Valley National Park and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park:
Tip #3: Pack More Food Than You Think You’ll Need, But Less of Everything Else
Because Alaska’s weather can change on a dime, it’s not uncommon to get “stuck” out in the wilderness, especially if you're relying on bush planes to transport you into and out of the terrain. To make life more comfortable and safer, pack an extra day or two’s worth of food, but go easy on the other items. Our backpacking packs weighed between 60 and 70lbs, which is a lot to carry up and over the Alaska mountains. Our guide told us our packs were too heavy well before we even hit the trail, and he was right! Also, we didn't end up using some of the gear we packed (although the Lord of the Rings paperback book was absolutely still worth it).
Below, our trusty Adventure Guide and the airplane that brought us in and out of Kobuk Valley, and Lord of the Rings at dusk in Wrangell-St. Elias:
Tip #4: Include “Buffer” Days in Your Overall Travel Itinerary
When planning an Alaska travel itinerary that involves multiple parks or “chapters” of the trip, give yourself a buffer day between each major event. We visited four different parks over 15 days, but the weather caused numerous flight delays, cancellations, and reschedulings throughout the trip, and we were glad we had budgeted for extra “rest” days between the main events. Not only did we need them to recharge between each park, but they also helped us feel like we weren’t being rushed, and when a flight was delayed or rescheduled, it didn’t ruin our trip.
Below, did we haul a coffee table book and postcards into Kobuk Valley National Park? Yes, yes we did:
Tip #5: Carry Bear Spray
Firearms are not a must in the Alaskan backcountry, but bear spray is. Virtually all of Alaska is bear country, even the gateway communities outside the national parks. We saw bears in every park we visited! We flew over bears in Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley. We saw fresh bear tracks when we landed and explored the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes in Kobuk Valley. We saw a family of bears sunning themselves in the foothills of Denali. And we saw a young bear taking a bath at one of our proposed campsites in Wrangell-St. Elias. Bears typically don’t bother humans in Alaska, but having bear spray certainly gave us all peace of mind, and our guide insisted we have it on our person at all times.
Below, a stop at the visitor center after a day in the park is essential!
Bonus Tip #6: When You Return, Decorate with the Art of Adventure!
Our motto is, “Real art by real artists for folks who like to keep it real. We don’t use AI!!”
ADG travel poster art takes you places, letting you enjoy handmade art created in the USA by real artists, with no artificial intelligence involved whatsoever.
Below, Denali art, in Denali National Park!
For the Alaska travel enthusiast, we have a wide range of Alaska art and travel products to make your trip special and to give you something to remember it by. We created Alaska Adventure playing cards to celebrate the wilderness and wonder of America’s most epic state. These designer playing cards go great with our deluxe leather cover.
Our artists have also created dozens of original posters depicting beloved travel destinations in Alaska. You can find Alaska-specific art here, national park art here, and Alaska cryptid art here. We also have a few Alaska travel sites in our American Travel and national monuments collections.
Below, images of ADG art in Alaska national parks:
Happy trails this summer! We’ll keep making art of adventure and wall decor that reminds folks of the trips they’ve taken and the places they’d still like to see. When you get back from your adventure, order your favorite Alaska national park art and travel art, and send us a photo of how you decorate with it!
From our family to yours, we'd love to see our art adding a splash of color and wonder to your walls.
Safe travels,
-Ren Brabenec
Anderson Design Group Staff Writer
Below, we loved seeing ADG art at the airport in Fairbanks and at a gas station outside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park!
