Archive for June, 2009
I love the name of this park: The Forest of Nisene Marks. Most California state parks have mundane descriptive names: Wilder Ranch, Big Basin, Angel Island, and so on. And while in reality Nisene Marks is simply the name of the mother of the family who donated the land to the state of California, to me it has a sound of mystery. I imagine dark primeval woods, populated by druids and ur-monsters, perilous to those who venture in too deep. The park is criss-crossed by faultlines, haunted by the remains of loggers’ activities, its deep ravines darkened by tall redwoods. Enter it if you dare!
Luckily, my recent hike there held no dangers, and I’m here to write about it — but the mood of mystery did seep into my photos.
The area of the Santa Cruz mountains now occupied by the park was heavily logged during the early 20th century, but few human remnants of that activity remain. This decaying trestle reminds me of a torii gate at a Japanese temple.
The greatest reminder of the loggers’ clear-cutting is the large number of old stumps.
Nature itself does a good job of creating a sense of mystery. Tree branches merge and entwine in unusual ways.
Redwood roots, reaching down, bear an unnatural resemblance to monsters in old 1950s science-fiction movies.
Uprooted stumps writhe against the sky.
Deep canyons recall the swamps and forests of the Cretaceous.
Ancient trees, burned by lightining strikes, give way to fairy rings of younger trees.
The hollows of the burned trees look like entrances to the underworld. I can imagine Demeter pausing, gathering her courage before plunging under the earth to rescue Persephone, her daughter.
I found myself wondering if the Ohlone tribes who lived in this area had any such myths or legends. While on this train of thought, I stopped to admire an interesting and unusual root protruding from a rock face.
Turning slightly, I was amazed to see a spiral carved into the rock, just visible under the moss. Is this a Native American petroglyph? Or the doodling of a logger?
And this:
My questions only serve to add to the mysterious quality of the day. I urge you to visit the park, and find some mystery of your own!
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This hike was a 6.9-mile loop up to Maple Falls and back. I started at the Porter Family picnic grounds and took the Loma Prieta Grade up, returning via the Bridge Creek trail. And while there was a 600-800 foot elevation gain, the trails are for the most part old railroad beds from the days when these woods were being heavily logged, making the rise so gradual that it’s barely noticeable. And really, it’s not scary or creepy at all. I would highly recommend it.
June 17 2009 | Walks and hikes | 1 Comment »
Our friends all know that Sarah-Hope and I are certified Crazy Cat Ladies. We have had many feline companions in our lives, and they all have special places in our hearts.
One such place is reserved for Woody, full name Woodrow Mycroft Keeper. He and his brother, Sparky –Spartacus Gladstone Keeper– came to Sarah-Hope from her veterinarian, who had adopted them from a man giving away kittens on a roadway median. Sparky and Woody were full of vim and vigor, running and tumbling and playing the game “Sparky must die! Woody must die!”, biting and kicking and being fierce little kitties, until they collapsed exhausted into a heap, sleeping curled up in each others arms. We were convinced that they thought they were a single entity, capable of living in two places at once.
Sparky and Woody grew into handsome young toms. Woody in particular was the king of the neighborhood, strutting up and down the sidewalk, lord of all he surveyed. Unfortunately, he had a bit of the wanderlust, and was often reported seen several blocks away. This led to his tragic end, hit by a car on a busy nearby street, just about the time of his first birthday.
It so happened that I had taken pictures of the two boys napping together that very afternoon.
This past Christmas, I surprised Sarah-Hope with a first proof of a print made from this photo. I finally finished the carving, and printed the full edition this week. Here it is:
Brothers
Linoleum block print
Edition of 23
June 12 2009 | Printmaking | 1 Comment »
We had a fabulous weekend here in Santa Cruz, with the Dyke March on Saturday and today’s Gay Pride parade and festival. It was fun to see friends old and new, and gather the tribes for celebration and re-energizing. We’ve come so far…. and have so far yet to go before we see full equality.
When the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, which retroactively denied gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, it was a blow to all who value separation of church and state, and equal treatment under the law for ALL citizens of the state. Sarah-Hope and I got married on the very first day we could, and while we are thankful that our marriage is still valid and legal, we are incensed that other people –people we’ve never met, people who have no idea who we are or what we value and believe– feel they have the right to vote on the validity of our relationship. And we were also incensed that the Supreme Court felt that it was perfectly ok for a popular vote to not only deny equal protection to a particular group of citizens, but to write it into the state Constitution as well. It is a very slippery slope, that.
As an artist, my first reaction upon hearing the news of the decision was to design something that could be used to help raise money for the fight to restore our right to marry. The first idea I had reflected the way I felt that day:
Having a sense of humor, my second design was much more tongue-in-cheek:
The photos within the lettering are icons of California: poppies, the Golden Gate bridge, palm trees in Los Angeles, the mission at San Luis Obispo, and Half Dome in Yosemite.
I also designed my own version of a classic pro-same-sex-marriage slogan, using the phrase “I do”:
I created a shop on Cafe Press last year, in order to promote my “serious” art. But during last November’s election, I created a political section, and now I’ve added these designs to it. I’ve also updated some of the designs I posted in November.
I am particularly fond of my Night of the Hunter design. (It is a fabulous movie; watch it if you haven’t seen it!)
I’m donating 50% of all profits from the sale of items with my “No on 8″ designs on them (that is, all my pro-marriage, anti-discrimination designs). Please tell all your friends! Buy t-shirts, totes, magnets, stickers, and various other items. Share them with your loved ones. Share my Cafe Press address with anyone interested: http://www.cafepress.com/mswest
In the long run, we’ll win this fight. And in the meantime, William Shakespeare sums up what it’s all about:
June 07 2009 | Design | 1 Comment »
