Iditarod profiles: Jon Van Zyle, artist, and Jeff Schultz, photographer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Joe Redington had a way of getting people to help. The skill came in handy in the early days of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The dream was big but resources were tight.

It didn’t take much to convince Jon Van Zyle to become the official artist. He loves dogs. Jeff Schultz loves Alaska and photography. He was enlisted as an official photographer.

Van Zyle and Schultz covered the race in their own art forms: paint and 35-millimeter film. Each knew the other was out there but their trails didn’t cross.

Now, with over four decades of presenting the race in their own mediums, they have paired up to create this year’s official Iditarod print. Schultz contributes the photograph and Van Zyle paints onto that image his vision of life along the trail.

After a year of adapting to constant change, it turns out to be the perfect year for two old dogs to blaze new trails on the Iditarod.

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