Sculptor Dawn Henthorn’s art is shaped by her childhood on Kodiak Island in Alaska, where she “explored tide pools, climbed trees, rolled around in foot-thick moss, snacked on salmon berries, rosehips, seaweeds and limpets,” she said. “All this left an indelible mark. I am bound to Alaska — the wildlife, the people, the land and the sea.”

Her heart may be in Alaska, but for the last 17 years she has called Kingston home. Her love for Alaska and the natural world are apparent in her soapstone sculptures. Her simple forms, of seals, ravens and people, are reminiscent of Alaskan and Coastal Native art, which also make use of the abundant carving medium.

With its natural marbling and varied color patterns, the surface and texture of the stone becomes part of the finished, overall look of a piece. It’s not just a blank canvas.

“I want the feeling and mood, the movement of the stone to shine through,” she said.

Henthorn is one of three artists featured at Kingston Art Gallery through August, along with oil painter Rosemarie Dowell and watercolorist Gerald Dowell.

Henthorn has done other types of art, but she began her sculpting career with a “six-dollar sack of clay.” She said she fell in love with the “earthiness” of it.

“I really like three-dimensional art. You can get your hands around it,” she said. “For me that makes it easier to get a feeling of the movement of a piece.”

She creates sculptures out of clay as well as soapstone, and also makes clay tiles in relief.

“In the Craftsman style, my tiles are half an inch thick, stained . . ., then high fired and treated with wax for a soft, aged look,” she said.

She has created tile installations for kitchens, fireplaces, tables and other uses on commission. Up until now she has sold her work simply by word-of-mouth advertising. The Kingston Art Gallery show is her debut exhibition, and she hopes it will result in more sales of her work. Like many artists, she creates whether she has a market or not, and that can lead to space issues.

“I want to really start selling my art — so I can make more,” she said.

There will be a reception for the artists at the Second Saturday Gallery Night, 6-8 p.m. Aug. 12. The Kingston Art Gallery is located at 25960 Central Ave. South NE, Kingston.