Today we’d like to introduce you to Riana Sather

Hi Riana, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

When I was thirteen years old, I picked up a pencil for the first time to draw. It took me approximately seventeen years and fifteen days to realize I was crazy enough to move up to Alaska from Texas all on my own. Being homeschooled my whole life gave me the opportunity to do this while I was still in high school! Fast forward a few years, I found myself distracted by the hustle and bustle of the food industry. I worked as a server, bartender, and cook all on the Alaska Railroad, but never really as an artist. However, when the covid pandemic first began, I lost three jobs in one week. While at the time things did not seem to be going very well, it actually gave me an opportunity to explore my goals as an artist. In 2021 I graduated with honors and acquired my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Anchorage Alaska.  During the time I worked on the train, I was starstruck by so many inspirational train conductors, so much so that I decided to earn my very own license and hat. My passion for both art and the Alaska Railroad has led me on incredible journeys all around the state. Like wheels against the rail, I leave sparks of creativity in multiple galleries and gift shops. I am entirely grateful for the opportunities life has given me, but nothing beats the opportunity for me to connect with people and share my passions for art. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

As much as I would like to say it has been an easy ride in life, it has not. I have had to work very hard for the opportunities I have been blessed with. An open door is pointless unless you are intentional about walking through it. I wear two hats in my career goals, one as a conductor, and the other as an artist. I find myself challenged almost every day wearing both. As far as being a conductor, it took me seven long months through Alaska’s extreme winter weather conditions to train. I started in a class of twenty guys, and I was the only female. In the end, I only graduated with three other guys. I made it through, and the reward is unexplainable. My frustrations as an artist are starkly different compared to my conductor career. I sometimes find myself not knowing what sort of art process I am completing, and when I am “finished” with my artwork, it takes me sometimes years to actually fall in love with it. I feel as though I have my whole life to develop my own style and techniques.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I enjoy using graphite and charcoal to create realistic perspectives of the beautiful scenery and wildlife I see around me here in Alaska. I also enjoy dabbling in acrylics, dry pastel, and prismacolors. I have such a unique opportunity as a train conductor to see so much of Alaska that not everyone else has the opportunity to, I love to share the beautiful things I have seen here.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?

As I had mentioned earlier, the pandemic had sort of upturned my routine a bit, when I had lost three jobs in one week. I realized that I needed to make money somehow. I discovered that I really can make money from my art, and during that time I truly buckled down and sought out a business license, and began putting my artwork in multiple galleries and gift shops. It was truly a blessing in disguise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://artsyrere.com
• Instagram: artsyrere
• Facebook: artsyrere
• Twitter: artsyrere
• Youtube: artsyrere
• Other: (tiktok) artsyrere