Off the Cuff with Lance Lekander
Lance Lekander
Monica Whitt
His website, Lekander Artworks, is populated with grinning monsters, rockin’ robots, and fun-loving freaks. He sells psychedelic yoga leggings, handmade yeti dolls (resembling his logo for the award-winning hotdog stand Yeti Dogs), and a collection of digital typefaces. The mission of his “super-secret underground laboratory” is to make people say, “That’s the gol-darndest art I ever have seen!”
Lekander keeps busy with commissions for book illustrations and selling his wares at craft fairs. He was once drawn to architecture as a possible career, but he realized he “didn’t want to get into ‘how much stress this bolt can take.’” He adds that interior design is still an option, and that would be a sight to see: an entire room decorated like counterculture comix and vintage movie posters.
Alaska Business: What book is currently on your nightstand?
Lance Lekander: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.
AB: What charity or cause are you passionate about?
Lekander: Stand for Salmon.
AB: What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
Lekander: Since I am the only person there, it’s not like a 9 to 5. It never ends: no days off, no weekends off. Always thinking about “How can I make the next pet rock?”
AB: What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Lekander: Bikepacking in Croatia or Baja [Mexico].
AB: If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
Lekander: Who wouldn’t want a T. rex or something? Assume I have enough money to feed it and everything [he laughs].
Monica Whitt (right) takes Lance Lekander’s photo climbing a bolder at Hillside Park in Anchorage.
Alaska Business
Current Issue
May 2024
AB: What do you do in your free time?
Lekander: I sketch a lot. Work is free time.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Lekander: I’ve been sewing… I’ve had some of my designs printed on waterproof fabric, so I’ve made dry bags and things. Looking to make backpacks and stuff.
AB: What’s your favorite way to exercise?
Lekander: I’d rather be out hiking on a sunny day… At the gym, I do Spin class and Group Power… When I do my own workouts, I end up doing things I like, but when I go to Group Power [I do] squats and lunges.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Lekander: When I go to someplace and they have big cliffs to jump off into the ocean, I get apprehensive. Like, “This is high.” But then I see a little kid do it, and I’m like, “If they can do it, I gotta go. You know?”
AB: What are you superstitious about?
Lekander: I’m not superstitious, but… I always think, when my ladder’s there, should I walk under my ladder or not? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. But I always think about that.
AB: Have you ever had a supernatural experience?
Lekander: Not really. Some dreams that have come true; like, you dream something and it happens. But I haven’t seen any ghosts. I would like to see a UFO, but still waiting for that.
AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
Lekander: The first thing that comes to mind is what people always say: Moose’s Tooth and Bear Tooth… It’s certainly good, but I never go there because I refuse to wait for an hour..
AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
Lekander: Prince.
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Lekander: Lately I’ve been into Converse All Star shoes… I’ve got, like, fifteen pairs now.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
Lekander: In my job or in life, it’s the same answer for both: I’m so easygoing. Works for me, works against me. People don’t pay me and I’m not all over them.
Making History
The track of oil and gas development in Alaska shows the footprints of bold companies and hard-working individuals who shaped the industry in the past and continue to innovate today. The May 2024 issue of Alaska Business explores that history while looking forward to new product development, the energy transition for the fishing fleet, and the ethics of AI tools in business.