DESCRIPTION
Hearts & Monuments - Pt. Arena Storm
| Location |
Point Arena Lighthouse, Point Arena/Stornetta Unit of the California Coastal National Monument, Point Arena, CA
|
About the Lighthouse
The Point Arena Lighthouse, in southern Mendocino County, lies along the Cascadia Fault and nearby the San Andreas Fault, both of which have had roles in its history.
The Cascadia Fault's geologic action is the source of Point Arena's spectacular cliffs and sea stacks. The original lighthouse, constructed in 1870, was destroyed in the famous San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which occurred along the San Andreas Fault.
An even taller tower, with a larger and brighter light, was finished two years later in 1908. The new lighthouse was constructed by a company specializing in earthquake resistant smokestacks. A 1st Order Fresnel Lens, built in France, that was seven feet in diameter and weighed 4,700 pounds, was installed. This new lamp operated until it was replaced in 1977 by a series of ever more efficient electric lamps. The old fog horns were silenced in 1975, and replaced by an automated, and silent, radio beacon.
So while the sounds of mournful foghorns and the flash of hot glass lenses from the oil redolent lantern room have been lost to modernization, the beauty of the white tower and its austere surroundings remain an icon of the Mendocino Coast, and a great place to visit.
As both a poet and a photographer I often am inspired by photographs to write poetry about them. Ekphrasis is the ancient Greek word for this kind of artistic expression where one artistic medium is the basis for the creation of a new artwork in a different medium, so visual art to write art.
Here is my poem based on this photograph, available in a separate framed:
HEARTS & MONUMENTSAlmost no one sets off
to walk the path of heroes
they just start walking and
the road explodes under their feet.
If you look closely
monuments to the unsung
line avenues all around us
and pock every hill
without white marble steps
stone plinths or chiseled honors
an eternal flame still sizzles in
the quiet solemn rain.
Jonathan Pazer
Jan. 5, 2024 - V1.3 || South Casper, CA
| DIMENSIONS |
FRAME TYPE |
|
Unframed:
Image: 12 x 18
Image: 24 x 36
Framed:
Image: 12 x 18
In Frame: 13.5 x 19.5
Image: 24 x 36
In Frame: 25.5 x 37.5
|
Unframed:
Ready to Hang
Framed:
Black wood floating frame. |
| MEDIUM |
MATERIALS |
| Photography |
Metal
|
| PHOTOGRAPHER / ARTIST |
ART SUBJECTS |
| Jonathan Pazer |
Landscape, Seascape, Architecture |
