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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
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I S L A N D D R E A M I N G
JULY SPOTLIGHT : "Island Hike, Diptych", 19.5 x 59"oil on birch panel, 2005.
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Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
Island Hike Diptych, 19.5 x 59”, oil on birch panel, 2005.
HELLO SUMMER! Parched grass and the smell of chapparal, cool sea breezes with hot sand under your feet, and sundried skin smelling of salt all signal the beginning of the warm summer season.
This month’s spotlight, Island Hike Diptych, features a view from the trail on the eastern end of Santa Cruz Island where sun bleaches out each winter’s crop of fresh grass and the winds that blow over the island send ripples of undulating golden waves amidst a backdrop of cool blue shades of sky and sea.
For those who dwell on the south coast of California the Santa Barbara Channel Islands are a near faraway place. Sitting just off the coast of Santa Barbara, the islands remain a preserved piece of California history, a vision early settlers must have witnessed arriving on the west coast; dry open grasslands edged by cliffs, dropping onto white sands and a vast ocean-scape stretching before them.
Santa Cruz Island is largest in the chain of eight islands making up the Channel Island National Park. The trusty guides at Island Packers, out of Ventura Harbor, take multitudes of interested adventurers out daily on the short boat ride to Scorpion Anchorage on the north side of the island. Here, visitors immerse themselves in the tranquil solitude of a landscape untouched by power lines, cell towers, or city buildings.
Island Hike Diptych represents one of many attempts to capture the large swaths of wind shaped island grass. Employing small brushes, I layer shades of white, ochre, sienna and mustard weaving a visual and textured tapestry. The well-trodden path forged by island visitors guides the viewer through the field towards the horizon, where sea and sky blend seamlessly just beyond the next hill.
“Air, Earth, Fire, Water” Sullivan Goss exhibition 2009.
Island Hike made its debut in an exhibition titled “Air, Earth, Fire, Water” at my primary gallery Sullivan Goss in 2009. It has been on and off the walls in summer salons the past few years and has now taken up residence in my studio awaiting its next chance to be exhibited.
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