Artisans Along the Pacific Coast

"The wind's feet shine along the sea."
-Swinburne-

The rythym of waves crashing against a rocky and lonely coast brings to mind the repetitive prayers of Buddhist monks or Islamic clerics lost in introspective meditation. There's a damp chilled wind blowing down from the Gulf of Alaska, where the waves are born. The ocean is still colder though, too cold for immersion without a thick neoprene wetsuit. It is a largely untamed coastline that extends from the Southern tip of Patagonia in Argentina, running 2600 miles up through Chile and on and on past Mexico and California, all the way to the tip of the Aelutian Islands. People walking over the frozen Bering Strait about 50,000 years ago migrated down the coast quickly, taking only about 5,000 years to populate the coast from Alaska to Argentina. The area has been known to Europeans for only about 500 years, and there are many long stretches of this coastline that remain today devoid of any settlement. Yet, prime real-estate sells for millions of dollars and the scenic Highway One is filled with tourists year-round. Most of us feel some strange attraction to the coast, where the bulwark of the continents slowly give way to the will of the sea.

This blog will explore that strange attraction to the sea through interviews with artisans, painters, sculptors and any creatives who call this coast home, highlighting their work through photos and conveying their story in a way that will hopefully inspire us to also create. Concurrently, I will share a traveler's insight into these places while providing both a modern and historical context that may be useful for other travelers, or anyone who wants a taste of the culture from our hidden coastal refuges. I will strive to provide only historically accurate information, and greatly appreciate any constructive feedback from the community.

A monolith of serpentine, McWay Rock appears stalwart against and even impervious to the waves that roll in from the far away Gulf of Alaska. Until Highway 1 was completed in 1937 this place was almost inaccessible and was known as the last American frontier. We will revisit this specific location in a future post discussing the abundance of California jade gemstone that is found here.

Note: All photographs posted are my own work. Feel free to use it for yourself, mention me if you feel like it. ;)