Greetings!
My name is Shauna Potocky and I am a writer, poet and painter who calls Alaska home. I have a deep love of big mountains, jagged peaks, and ice. My daily work is focused on the protection of public lands and my art and writing is inspired by the remarkable places that touch and sustain our lives.
Much of the artwork and writing you can explore here developed from field journaling. Today, I teach both journaling and poetry classes with the goal of encouraging time to slow down, observe, foster a sense of play, discovery, care and freedom when exploring the outdoors. My philosophy with art is—no rules, no judgement–simply take time to look closely, feel deeply, connect, and create.
I hope that my art brings you joy, that my writing takes you to new places or brings you back to the places that have touched your own life. I also hope that the projects you find here inspire an exploration and desire to create positive change and enact solutions to the challenges you see where you live.
In return, I simply ask that you do your part to protect our remaining wild places.
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Biography:
Shauna Potocky is a poet and painter with a deep love of high peaks, jagged ridgelines and ice. She has a strong connection to the natural world—both landscapes and seascapes with their rough or subtle edges, where life unfolds. Shauna is the author of Sea Smoke, Spindrift and Other Spells (2025) and Yosemite Dawning: Poems of the Sierra Nevada (2023), both published by CIRQUE Press. Her work appears in Writing Through the Apocalypse published by Weeping Willow Books (2023), Seward Unleashed Water and Wonder (2023), Beyond Words International Literary Journal, Alpinist Magazine, Cirque Journal, Alaska Women Speak, and other publications. Shauna served as Artist in Residence for the Sitka Conservation Society during 2024. She established the Seward Poetry Festival, which is a program of the Seward Arts Council and has served as a book reviewer for the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival for over a decade. Shauna’s artwork and poetry have been featured in shows, readings and stewardship projects throughout Alaska. She provides poetry readings, workshops, and enjoys participating in art and literary collaborations.
Please do respect my work by asking permission for its use or inquiring about its availability for purchase. I can be reached at Shauna@SeaSmokeArts.com.
Thank you so much!
Artwork, photography and writing is © Shauna Potocky 2019-2025 *unless it is attributed to a gracious contributor.