Jon Van Zyle
The 2016 Iditarod Poster is the 40th in the series of posters created by Jon Van Zyle, Official Iditarod Artist. Iditarod fans have coveted Van Zyle’s Iditarod posters ever since 1977. Forty is a monumental milestone to be celebrated by both the artist and the people who enjoy his Iditarod based works.
Painting what he knows, what he’s seen and what he’s felt, allows Jon to capture exquisite details in his Alaska themed art. The great land of Alaska offers innumerable subjects for Van Zyle – scenery, northern lights, fishing, wildlife, birds, flowers and sled dogs, to name only a few.
Jon says, “Iditarod art is but a very small portion of the sixty to seventy original paintings I create every year.” His works, all based on the immeasurable beauty and wonders of Alaska, are displayed in galleries worldwide. In addition to painting, he also illustrates children’s books.
It began in 1976 after Jon finished his rookie Iditarod. Everything he experienced on the trail was fresh in his mind – scenic beauty, challenges, adventure and the colors. He’d never forget what he experienced, but he still wanted to record it. Van Zyle says, “The memories from that race generated twenty paintings.”
He approached the Iditarod Trail Committee with an idea to raise funds for the young and financially struggling race. He suggested that he might create and publish a poster for Iditarod to sell. The first poster, based on one of the twenty paintings depicting his 1976 race experiences, came out in 1977. His posters, intricate and beautiful, share the beauty of Alaska and the bond between musher and sled dog.
The poster idea has been a huge hit with race fans and Jon says that the first poster might be his favorite. At the time he never expected to create even five more, let alone thirty-nine more. The Trail Committee asked him to do another poster for the 1978 race, likewise for 1979. Iditarod received the money from sales and Jon realized additional exposure and notoriety as an artist. He’s called it a win-win situation.
It became official at the Musher Banquet for the 1979 race. Before he drew his starting position for his second trip to Nome, he was presented with a gold pan and the title of “Official Iditarod Artist.” It’s a title he still proudly holds today.
Expanding beyond the extremely popular poster, Van Zyle started issuing numbered edition Iditarod prints in 1983 to further support the race. He’s created his 34th annual Iditarod print for the 2016 Iditarod. Ask Jon what his passions have been over the years he’s been associated with the Iditarod and he’ll say the dogs, the race and painting. Since the early days of the race, Jon’s official posters and prints allow Iditarod enthusiasts to bring the race into their homes wherever home might be.
The detail in his work is astounding, giving the viewer the feeling of being a part of the scene. Be it the northern lights, a dog team and musher camped beside the trail or a portrait of a Siberian, it’s all remarkably real. The aurora dances across the sky, the cold is palpable, the crunch of the snow can be heard and the fur of the Siberian feels dense and warm.
40th Poster by Jon Van Zyle
Van Zyle was inducted into the Alaska Dispatch News Iditarod Hall of Fame in 2004. The title of the ADN article announcing his induction says it all, “Jon Van Zyle: A Picture-perfect Race Supporter.” In that story Iditarod Champion Dick Mackey credits Jon and his artistic interpretations of mushers, dogs and the Iditarod trail with bringing the race notoriety and much needed funding.
As a young man, Jon was racing sled dogs even before he relocated to Alaska. When he moved north to the Last Frontier, he brought a handful of sled dogs with him. By chance he met Dick Mackey and Joe Redington Sr. as they were talking up the inaugural Iditarod. Jon liked the idea of the longer race and spending more time camping with his dogs. Iditarod was definitely in his future.
Van Zyle’s first Iditarod could be considered a game changer for the subject of his art. He’s always been inspired to paint what he knows. His newly found knowledge of the Iditarod trail and the amazing marathon abilities of the sled dog created the foundation for his Iditarod art. In an essay published in Iditarod the First Ten Years called, Art and Mushing: Two Trails that Converge, Jon writes, “Having run the race twice and been intimately involved with dogs most of my life, my dedication to Iditarod is not a passing fancy. I will continue to be involved, to donate what I can, and to try and impart through my paintings the feelings and the thrills that this involvement (with Iditarod) has brought to me.”
Jon is a truly generous and talented man who has given much to Iditarod and race enthusiasts by creating Iditarod posters for forty consecutive years. He embodies the spirit of Alaska and culture of Iditarod.
