Mr. F and I are purists when it comes to spending time in the outdoors.  We like to keep things simple and spend as much time exploring outside of camp as possible.  For us, it isn’t about hanging out around a campground, it is about abiding in the wild and quiet places.  Yosemite National Park is an incredible example of a scenic sanctuary, but with nearly 4 million visitors a year, it can be anything but quiet.

Yosemite is comprised of nearly 1200 square miles of wilderness so it just takes a bit of effort to escape the crowds and find some peace.  Our last full day in Yosemite, we awoke long before sunrise, packed up for the day and headed out from Glacier Point to hike ten miles to Nevada Falls.  Beginning in the mist and fog, we had the trail to ourselves for much of the morning.  It is in those moments of solitude that we can truly appreciate the beauty and splendor that surrounds us.  These are our favorite memories of wild places.

In her Yosemite series, Seattle artist Susanna Bluhm creates paintings based on her own experiences of the park, first from the eyes of a child, then through the eyes of an adult and mother.

 

We see the marks of human hand in Bluhm’s landscapes, graffiti-like marks and geometrics reminding us that we are ever encroaching on these wild temples.  There is a reason, though, that we continue to return.  These pristine spaces call to us, call to the untamed spirit that dwells deep inside, the one buried beneath the worries and wires of modern life.

To see more of Susanna Bluhm‘s work, please visit her website.

All images are via the artist’s website.