Last month my husband and I visited Northern California for a couple of weeks. A great trip we were able to take in a few places and see a wide range of different things. We started in San Francisco, home of cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Also their own Modern Art Museum which was holding a commemorative exhibition of its collection, covering works from the last 75 years.
There was the usual suspects that you would expect to see plus some of their home grown talent. It was interesting to see different works from artists than the usual selection that you see here in the UK. The strangest thing was that they allowed you to take photographs, something I have never come across before in a major gallery. I probably did not take enough as it just felt so weird and wrong, like something elicit. The works I enjoyed the most were a selection by Sol Le Witt and Chuck Close.
We then moved on to Lassen Volcanic Park. The volcanoes are currently dormant though one exploded last in 1922, not really that long ago, showering an area with many rocks that stayed hot for days. However the sulphur beds were bubbling away nicely and these areas were covered in white and yellow deposits which give the landscape an eerie feel.
Next we moved on to Yosemite, it was easy to see why this dramatic landscape has inspired so many artists. Most famously Ansel Adams and there is a gallery dedicated to his work in the valley area. The park is within the Sierra Mountain range and much of it is at around 2000 metres high and above and it formed a major barrier between the East and West of America until the late 19th century. Then in the middle there is a sweeping valley floor at around 1000 metre caved out by receding glaciers in the last ice age. Lining the valley are many dramatic peaks and waterfalls, which unfortunately for us were dry or running very low being towards the end of the summer season.
Also within the range of the park are areas of sequoia groves. Giant redwood trees towering above you and the surrounding trees. Many of the largest are ancient witnesses to the changes in the landscape. Early visitors to the area even carved tunnels through a couple of the trees, one of which subsequently fell because of the damage in the 1960s, but now such activities I’m pleased to say do not meet with conservation standards. It was sad but fascinating to see one in that condition but even so it is attempting to heal itself and cover some of the area with new bark. A testament to its ability to survive despite us.
Our last stop was to Monterey where it was a delight to witness flocks of pelicans fly just above the water at the wharf, also the seals and sea lions basking up against the harbour walls in the sunshine. Nearby was the famous Pebble Beach area where the US Open Golf tournament took place this year and where our hire car mysteriously ran out of petrol with no warning light showing in the car. We were not impressed. Fortunately a very friendly security guard was able to top us up with gas and get us underway again.
Now it’s back home and on with the drawing and printing again, hopefully some of the inspirational sights will begin to filter through.