https://www.darrensears.com/blog daily 0.75 2025-05-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1554586574136-8FOAGVICGYUGEHF91S77/IMG_0042.jpg blog https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2025/5/13/find-me-on-substack-and-youtube monthly 0.5 2025-05-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/0e1941d9-c0c4-4821-8b03-5408905354fd/682d4fbe2c483-fbutube-YouTube1+-+cover2.png blog - Find me on Substack and YouTube! - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2025/2/27/oasis-ii monthly 0.5 2025-05-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2f0b3fa5-cfd5-4ffa-a043-bab106b5dd4c/IMG_1243.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out View back toward the city (and the desert, interrupted by some irrigation) from the center of the oasis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c12de3f1-2cf9-4603-b853-e18dd24b2b8c/OasisII.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Oasis II, watercolor on paper, 30”x40”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d4c8853a-fed0-456f-87ce-86b577fec3d5/OasisII+diagram.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out The reserve is accessed by a loop trail, highly distorted when it’s overlaid here on the map. The more transparent segments represent sections of the trail that pass behind topography in the foreground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/7002956d-0d7e-4d05-895f-9b474171cf60/IMG_1199.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Looking into the oasis from the dry lowlands just beyond the edge of the city, at the start of the loop trail. The foreground elevation is high enough (compared to just a few meters back) to support minimal vegetation, which I assume was greener a few weeks or months earlier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d6aed66a-9dd2-46f4-a776-97946cd39d0b/IMG_1245.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Outcrop in the heart of the oasis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/5ecf2e59-a763-458d-91ba-9737bd797157/IMG_1256.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Walking along the reserve’s main ridgeline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/4db51a1d-3281-4798-9fc6-0b2ff6c768d6/IMG_1260.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Further along the ridgeline, as the landscape begins to dry out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3ee65c25-1480-4bad-896c-da0abe6d682b/IMG_1271.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Looking down toward the city and desert, with dry transitional vegetation on the intervening hill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b5b803ff-3f6a-4f53-ba91-1299ed79060e/IMG_1299.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out On the descent, looking back up toward the greener ridgeline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a1c65754-3266-4f9e-967e-8ff93b18dfca/IMG_1323.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Cacti near the end of the trail… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/927fce89-7869-4a87-a655-e93d83e1bae4/IMG_1328.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out …and terrestrial bromeliads. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/521d56f2-6d41-4c2b-8e9e-68c3dd44a10c/IMG_1311.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out The edge of the reserve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/8c70a7fa-444f-4215-99b0-9f8bcaeeced3/E1.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Enlargement, “dry” half. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/62063dbe-6180-4f3f-a7f5-afe34221be20/E2.jpg blog - Oasis II - Make it stand out Enlargement, “wet” half. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2024/11/15/headland monthly 0.5 2024-12-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1f4e1ce9-9a60-4cf4-a7d8-4e548297acad/IMG_4187.jpg blog - Headland - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3b5a8e90-a606-49a0-b255-385554781dd5/aerial+diagram.jpg blog - Headland - Make it stand out Lion’s Head with the surrounding city (and Table Mountain in the lower left), summit trail, and main road from downtown. The trail takes about a half day to hike up and down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/26d2cf1f-5d58-4475-a110-2e3e3fc58c91/IMG_3897.JPG blog - Headland - Make it stand out Fynbos shrubland with Lion’s Head beyond. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/5ff59ca4-a5e3-41f1-8764-c04e9981067e/P8121671.jpg blog - Headland - Make it stand out Table Mountain itself, south of the city, with a large protea in the foreground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/72d591f4-1ce7-4df8-9dc5-bb460b6cae9a/IMG_3873.JPG blog - Headland - Make it stand out Another side of Lion’s Head. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c48cbae1-84c1-4679-8f94-380092811d4b/P8191729.jpg blog - Headland - Make it stand out The Silvermine area of the National Park, farther south. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/50c7cb00-5ff1-4c72-a57e-313806ac65b3/IMG_3737.JPG blog - Headland - Make it stand out Below the landform, on the northwest side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/5a6e056c-6d7e-4632-9aea-9d8e50f5cb76/IMG_3765%281%29.JPG blog - Headland - Make it stand out View northeast toward downtown and along a linear extension of the park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/71dc6dab-e584-48bd-88f1-0cc0f453d537/IMG_3783%281%29.JPG blog - Headland - Make it stand out Circling the base of the summit, looking south toward Table Mountain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/19d98a94-73a3-4a70-911d-50cc6bb8b026/IMG_3815.JPG blog - Headland - Make it stand out View south from the summit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/ff6f4676-21c7-41d6-8c52-82463504c3c5/Headland.jpg blog - Headland - Make it stand out Headland, watercolor on paper, 24”x36.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/cdfb5620-43ea-48f4-8320-a624b4685f52/Headlands+diagram.jpg blog - Headland - Make it stand out The watercolor overlaid with the circulation; the trail is screened back where it’s hidden by the foreground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/fe8d5656-c41c-4c25-b91a-fe55a8e99515/Headlands+diagram2.jpg blog - Headland - Make it stand out The park imagined as “wild” and “natural,” distinct from the city and humanity… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2ce67490-6475-447f-93d8-ef6d5a5c0665/Headlands+diagram3.jpg blog - Headland - Make it stand out …but that image itself is a human/psychological construction, in a sense infiltrating inward from the city.(You might’ve noticed similar diagrams and terminology in my previous post; in that case the arrow direction is reversed, with “nature” infiltrating humanity.) https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2024/8/20/wilds monthly 0.5 2024-11-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/5fde488c-0a65-4713-8d90-0ef936882fdb/IMG_20221105_0001.jpg blog - Wilds - Make it stand out Looking out over the town of Delwara in Rajasthan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3212db23-6798-4fa7-aa5b-90e359e8f76a/Wilds.jpg blog - Wilds - Make it stand out Wilds, watercolor on paper, 40”x40.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/da4e8dd9-69a2-406f-ab5d-d536258941dd/Wilds_cr.jpg blog - Wilds - Make it stand out Wilds out in the wild.... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/31280d3b-de18-4020-b120-cb2b6d4f0734/IMG_0217.jpg blog - Wilds - Make it stand out Ancient Jain temple in Delwara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d4a1b897-541f-48ea-b0b5-1e4a72fe2e40/Delwara+street.JPG blog - Wilds - Make it stand out Street in Delwara. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/707b5c1f-7c6a-483f-ad4f-c46ad6d7522d/IMG_0409.jpg blog - Wilds - Make it stand out Euphorbias, somewhere in Rajasthan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/5730e481-1dde-4020-ae25-31fd7dc3868d/Wilds+diagram.jpg blog - Wilds - Make it stand out Urban humanity as the focus, "wild nature" on the periphery—but are the two actually distinct? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/144809ac-5a01-4bf8-ab37-759350673e76/Wilds+diagram2.jpg blog - Wilds - Make it stand out 'Wild nature"—conceptually—infiltrating and re-defining humanity from "beyond." https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2023/11/14/perched monthly 0.5 2024-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d53d92fb-93b3-4c13-9992-8b53b833be7d/IMG_3150.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Lowland rainforest, “dry” compared to the higher elevations, in many places dominated by the endemic kentia palm (Howea forstereana). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/5423f458-8e60-4164-b5bf-b7141ffd96b4/IMG_3393.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Stands of the endemic stilt-rooted Pandanus forsteri line many of the island’s streams. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/ecb6b36a-519d-4244-acdd-675c44d4a706/IMG_3321.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Stunted, fairy tale-like “mist forest” blanketing the two peaks (Mt. Gower and Mt. Lidgbird) at the island’s southern end, featuring two other endemic palm species each in its own genus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b2620bb0-f312-4990-8d5f-bdff7ad9eadd/IMG_3194.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Scrubbier forest at the northern tip of the island, with Mt. Eliza in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/212d9cc6-eed1-4189-a151-f0fb0333f61f/IMG_3218r.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out View across the island’s main lagoon, from near the northern end to Mts. Gower and Lidgbird. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c71278de-bac4-47de-8609-4672e56424c2/IMG_3325.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out View over the mist forest canopy and down the length of the island from the summit of Mt. Gower. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/635b1009-7a2f-4c3d-aebf-68292b5a8032/Refugium.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Refugium, oil on canvas, 48”x48” (2017). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/dc3d41b1-9f04-47cc-bf98-f38093ef1b8a/Lord+Howe2.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Lord Howe from above overlaid with my paths of travel—along roads and trails, on bicycle and on foot—that I incorporated into Perched, extending outward from the main settlement. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/00ca44fd-4d9a-43e9-af66-d2aac7161029/Perched.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Perched, watercolor on paper, 52”x32.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/6faf8fc7-0ead-47c4-8125-9047e0aacb75/paths.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out The travel paths as captured and distorted in the watercolor. A few segments are screened back to indicate they’re passing behind the elements pictured. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/ebf56ceb-6fcf-47f6-87c1-9ca18a897df9/Perched_detail1.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Perched, detail, mountains and mist forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/6a150e35-00f3-4340-aa7c-dc9c71378ff5/Perched_detail2.jpg blog - Perched - Make it stand out Perched, detail, north end of the island and view back toward the peaks. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2023/3/3/summit monthly 0.5 2023-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a80065dd-60ce-492d-aff4-3b0fc5ea8ef9/diagrams.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out East Maui and Haleakala Crater. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/6603b1e4-e65d-4f8a-9f3f-a15708f609a1/diagrams2.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Haleakala Crater, enlarged. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/8a084779-f7d6-49c3-8590-603ad0424d8a/IMG_0035_2199.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Cinder cones near the center of the crater. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/9c5a607e-8a6e-46ab-8f79-150a60e89be2/IMG_0013_2177.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Endangered silverswords, unique to the alpine desert of Haleakala. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1d2644e5-05ad-4d73-9e58-7e4fb5d6cd55/IMG_0095.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Native cloud forest vegetation at the crater’s eastern edge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a07b1f54-262f-4e45-a6f0-b692ae9d4d60/IMG_0076.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out The lush eastern rim of the crater. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/56cc144c-0c6c-4fb8-818a-90196fab6743/IMG_0155.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out A cinder cone in front of the crater’s dry southwestern rim. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/02eca688-1eb7-430c-8944-1e64e7f074ce/IMG_0_2167.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out The slightly greener northwestern rim. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/4f50f9c3-d471-400c-9df8-f9d3398a92d6/IMG_0.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Early morning view through the Ko’olau Gap. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/e6a36ea7-ec05-47d0-b876-601a18afede4/IMG_0057_2216.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Looking along the eastern edge of the Kaupo Gap. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/fa0a6692-673d-4279-9dec-85e353940279/IMG_0206.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Overview of Haleakala Crater from the main visitor area. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/04feb8b1-2deb-48b1-b69e-7f72621752f4/IMG_0196.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out View westward from the Maui summit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/7839c8a2-0fbd-4b13-8702-ad49a4fd594c/IMG_0203.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out This particular view looking south from the summit cuts out middle ground (the outer slopes of the volcano) completely, so that the ocean looks as if it were only a few hundred feet below. (In the distance are the peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c80ba6f4-7e06-4378-b2bb-97cf6c9b6a9d/IMG_2265.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Semi-native rainforest along the trail to Waimoku Falls, in the coastal section of Haleakala National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/86d65f56-fc6d-495a-849f-f63387af569c/IMG_0210.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Looking at Haleakala from the coast, not only is the crater physically invisible; as with the impression standing on the summit, the gradual slopes make it hard to believe that the mountaintop is above the tree line. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/ebc97aff-6cd4-4a6c-9e7d-4579261bdd5b/draft_edited2+copy.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/808b4500-044c-49aa-8aca-2b33827150d4/diagrams.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a713d268-cf4f-42c0-b5bb-813114f22400/Summit.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Summit, watercolor on paper, 39”x52.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/79dc7b70-5e4f-4bf3-aa67-8614ab42bd5d/detail1.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Summit detail, desert zone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/557e5623-c342-4e23-97b5-3b06a09e957a/detail2.jpg blog - Summit - Make it stand out Summit detail, rainforest zone. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/12/16/climate-journeys-compressed monthly 0.5 2023-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/93bcbafb-8e30-4edf-bb84-66104fe2d809/south+america3.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Compressed - Make it stand out Vegetation and rainfall variation between northern Peru and southern Colombia. (Vegetation map adapted from Trewartha, The Earth’s Climates; rainfall map adapted from various sources.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/8348cf0e-b8ad-43e6-b824-a5e0e4e4603b/NANTUDA.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Compressed - Make it stand out North Atlantic surface temperatures (from https://www.propilotmag.com/north-atlantic/). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b1a0ccc8-9a75-44a8-a2d3-c6a039195475/NANTUDA2.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Compressed - Make it stand out The imaginary Nantuda Archipelago (base image from Google Maps). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/12cd049a-67e0-43c6-a2b6-1e35128eb589/NANTUDA2.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Compressed - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/268cee16-a62e-46af-bdfa-13196dae166c/NANTUDA3.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Compressed - Make it stand out Another imaginary archipelago alignment that might better capture the compressed ocean temperature gradient on land. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/526812ef-d5db-46b7-b73d-8f7ad54b0a4d/Shark+Fin+Island3.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Compressed - Make it stand out The location of Shark Fin Island with the botanical origins of its flora. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/42c246b9-1acf-42fd-b990-da6caa3c737d/Shark+Fin+Island4.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Compressed - Make it stand out Shark Fin Island’s lowland forest zone (watercolor on paper, 14”x22”); note that the plants in the description are invented as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2ee64e74-6404-4995-836b-1be697391508/Shark+Fin+Island4a.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Compressed - Make it stand out The island’s wetter highland forest zone (watercolor on paper, 14”x22”). https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/11/11/lord-howe-island monthly 0.5 2023-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/45838632-62dc-42fa-af98-30549a98af15/IMG_3374.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out A forest of the endemic kentia palm, Howea forstereana, at the base of Mt. Gower at the island’s southern end. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/48828ad7-2848-4e49-92b5-28b507dd4405/map_labeled.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/7f6eb8ea-2d67-411f-a8b3-af113d95017a/IMG_3305.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out Fairy tale-like cloud forest just below the summit of Mt. Gower. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/636111c0-60b3-47d2-9f04-39d0a949fb77/IMG_3339.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out A fearless Lord Howe currawong (Strepera graculina crissalis). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b7996930-d61f-42aa-9618-d09dc6641795/IMG_3309.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out A little mountain palm (Lepidorrhachis mooreana). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b4417917-859f-49b8-a654-e6607b416b80/IMG_3342.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out More little mountain palms, on the Mt. Gower summit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/877b913e-60d3-4330-906d-d3ccaf86887e/IMG_3332.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out Me at the summit of Mt. Gower (the island’s highest point), with Mt. Lidgbird just beyond. The 8-hour hike from the coast was the toughest day hike I’ve ever done, especially the portion along a narrow ledge above 100m cliffs. (There was a rope, but it wasn’t much comfort.) No rock climbing, but parts of the hike got close. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/0d2b5589-226e-4416-9fab-65db20af8fe6/IMG_3147.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out Inside a stand of kentia palms, most common near sea level. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/83401c4e-441e-4527-8ed1-41af46d45a18/IMG_3145.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out The fourth endemic palm, the curly palm (Howea balmoreana), concentrated at slightly higher elevations than the kentia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/73239c03-cfb7-4971-9b09-4fac636b6996/IMG_3278.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out An endemic variety of strangler fig, Ficus macrophylla f. columnaris. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/4699fcfe-f593-4003-8724-0afdaad30dbf/IMG_3424.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out Another tropical-looking endemic, pandanus forsteri, most common along watercourses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/9fe720ed-17f1-4239-97bc-33faa3309ccc/IMG_3137.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out The low-elevation forest has a less exotic and luxuriant appearance in areas without the palms, pandanus, or strangler figs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/101bf350-bdb3-432d-9e20-9bc6ce6083ac/IMG_3232.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out The scrubbier northern tip of the island, with Mts. Gower (right) and Lidgbird in the distance across the lagoon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/9025fb49-8671-4aee-970b-c529d9d6e684/IMG_3264.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out The small percentage of non-forested land is mostly cow pasture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a9f4c4fc-546f-442a-942d-853aa67fa74c/IMG_3114.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out The island’s main cemetery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/bc152315-625a-4531-94ab-a8cf6644b9c2/IMG_3275.jpg blog - Lord Howe Island - Make it stand out A small waterfront park and memorial. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/10/28/climate-journeys-eurasia monthly 0.5 2023-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/81cc0dda-1aac-4220-b392-9f274607bd2f/patterns.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Eurasia - Make it stand out Diagram based on https://www.geocurrents.info/place/australia-and-pacific/australias-climatic-anomalies/attachment/hypothetical-continent-climate-map. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c9a5f52b-92a9-423a-9407-8662f65dfc7c/patterns2.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Eurasia - Make it stand out A revised version of the generic diagram, modified just enough to fit the Eurasian pattern; the specific locations mentioned are only examples. (If you take out the Mediterranean, you could say this version is actually closer to “generic” than the earlier one since it incorporates fewer effects of topography.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/373c20ad-5d21-422f-bfa2-3353adf6ed5c/patterns3.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Eurasia - Make it stand out The pattern as it actually looks, again with that anomalous temperate forest region highlighted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/336cc654-2028-40b1-ae54-170ba684a2a7/Sicily1.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Eurasia - Make it stand out Mediterranean fan palms (Chamaerops humilis) at San Vito lo Capo, Sicily—in cultivation they can grow into short trees, but in their rocky native habitats from Spain and North Africa to Italy they tend to stay shrub-like. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b0d0c465-f3fb-4e4a-afdd-c46934a03d00/P1010416.JPG blog - Climate Journeys | Eurasia - Make it stand out Gnarled oaks in Wistman’s Wood in Dartmoor, Devon, UK—probably classified as a little remnant of temperate rainforest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/8866fa74-e579-43c2-96dc-d5af5ec4bdd6/IMG_0204.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Eurasia - Make it stand out Birch forest at Thorsmork, southern Iceland—likely wet enough to qualify as subpolar rainforest. Birch used to cover a much larger percentage of the country’s lowlands, though more shrub-like in most places. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/10/7/crystallize monthly 0.5 2023-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/307b6bc5-faf7-4eaa-9f80-938be2fa97a0/IMG_1841_IMG_9276.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/82826d49-5dc6-4fbc-b614-d8051e405ab6/aerials.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Location of the Salar de Uyuni (Google Maps image). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/59f4e96d-2c52-48a1-be69-71aed2dd76ed/aerials2.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Location of Isla Incahuasi in the Salar, with the rough arrival and departure routes by car on my organized tour—of course no actual roads are necessary! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/523c4e1a-56f5-43a2-b4ce-a4710953e81e/aerials3.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Loop trail and perimeter walk on/around the island (dashed), and vehicular arrival and departure routes (solid). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/7b1e8def-18aa-4ccc-a538-477b6ea68fe1/IMG_1830.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Typical view from mid-elevation on the loop trail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c7e262b8-87dc-434c-a83d-5b59d5963d4e/IMG_1867.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Looking along the northeast peninsula from just below the summit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/7c52775d-2e56-430c-a705-d08e0666c180/IMG_1815.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out View inland toward the central ridgeline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/980133c8-6c3a-448b-911e-269b59b05692/IMG_1856_IMG_9280.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Salt meets stone, with the Salar’s polygonal patterning that inspired the layout of the worldview. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/e24fc133-c7b8-44db-b527-35fb399f5163/IMG_9295.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/6d64ca2c-b700-4a04-818c-d369b3fd2ffb/sketch1.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3839ce06-7459-4a4f-9299-7cdbf749b95b/sketch3.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/fb4fac90-76b1-4312-95de-b1eecf0525ee/Crystallize.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Crystallize, watercolor on paper, 52”x40.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/036c4d0a-4666-43fa-aea1-c3a961a8223d/paths.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Crystallize overlaid with the routes of travel (the transparent segments run behind the landforms). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/419212e9-cddc-4f31-b0d2-3819aff95d7b/Crystallize_detail1.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Detail, top half of the island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/0f2872e6-310a-43c4-b8a7-f6df5abd5126/Crystallize_detail2.jpg blog - Crystallize - Make it stand out Detail, bottom half of the island. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/9/9/climate-journeys-australian-rainforests monthly 0.5 2023-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c485ac95-9e79-4744-b8ae-4b5a1ac26f27/labeled.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out Climatic patterns in Australia, with the temperate continental part of the typical “East Coast” pattern “replaced” by temperate rainforest usually associated with west coasts. Note that Australia’s (lowland) tropical rainforest ecoregion is tiny—found only around the Cairns region (so the coastal patterns couldn’t really be called complete without extending northward into Indonesia/Papua New Guinea). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c9291e58-fe4f-4694-9ea9-03f89201333a/patterns2.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out Distribution of “actual” rainforest habitat, grading from temperate through subtropical to tropical. (It’s necessarily simplified at this scale—there are other, much smaller pockets interspersed with these, and the ones shown are certainly further fragmented.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a62e352a-b437-474b-881f-82258af42f7e/IMG_1360.JPG blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out Temperate rainforest in a “fern gully,” Great Otway National Park, Victoria. These lush gullies are particularly good examples of rainforest-supporting microclimates. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/169e827c-36c5-49c5-bb00-b36d557327fe/IMG_1333.JPG blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out Tree ferns in Great Otway, probably the most identifiable plants in the temperate rainforests. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/afda9391-6d52-4eaf-80d2-974c495c3abb/IMG_2519.JPG blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out Subtropical rainforest at the base of Mt. Warning in northern New South Wales. Palms (absent in the temperate rainforests) are common at these latitudes, often forming extensive, pure stands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/9874f8fb-f693-4297-b9f1-f10fbc85d35f/IMG_2177.JPG blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out Tree ferns occur in the subtropical rainforests but more so at higher elevations (here also at Mt. Warning). Trees with buttressed roots (left, in the background) also start appearing in the subtropics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/49c1d9e2-756e-443b-a944-b5add06342a6/IMG_2802.JPG blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out Tropical rainforest near Cairns, Queensland—the diversity in species and life forms is noticeably higher than farther south. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/85af200b-5d33-4676-8771-44c540c82c18/IMG_2834.JPG blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out More tropical rainforest near Cairns (Daintree National Park). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/91f58859-3202-45cd-bfc7-b8be86f0ffe9/IMG_2831.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Australian Rainforests - Make it stand out Of course the fauna changes too with latitude. As you know I tend to pay relatively attention to it, but I learned after-the-fact that standing this close to a cassowary was a really, really bad idea—note the claws (Daintree National Park). https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/7/29/approach monthly 0.5 2023-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2cda2eaf-e39f-4257-b124-7d1ffb983e6d/Approach.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out Approach, watercolor on paper, 44”x38.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/dcc8516b-c456-467e-a105-f37bb47299d1/IMG_2232.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out Tall low-elevation beech forest with patches of bamboo in the understory—you can glimpse the volcano in the distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/4e1e9d2b-2ff1-473b-ada5-57eea2ae2006/IMG_2294.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out Approaching the volcano and climbing a bit, the forest becomes shorter and bushier… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/aa84fc01-0c1d-4a11-a50f-900d1cfb46ab/IMG_2257.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out …and increasingly wind-blown. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d5c01901-fa8a-4379-b7ba-08ea080a781d/IMG_2292.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out A parasitic crater at the end of the trail, with the mountain beyond. I’d actually climbed the volcano the day before this hike—probably good timing, since as you can see the summit is smoking quite a bit (and was probably closed that day). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/9ae8f50d-ed09-4338-9b63-36fed036d0a2/IMG_2190.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out Climbing Villarrica, with the summit rising up ahead in the center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/fbdaf105-e0e9-4d2c-b3f1-db16f2ad4cb4/IMG_2206.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out Yes, that’s me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/29d31fc2-4b10-4c3d-94dc-90a53bc8b2a0/IMG_9401%281%29.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/bcf14026-7b23-4511-b416-daf2e27c7783/Detail2.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out Detail, forest hike. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/db51bf66-8136-47fa-b74f-d9e6daa8c54a/Detail1.jpg blog - Approach - Make it stand out Detail, summit hike. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/6/10/oasis monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/38d2015b-ed48-48c8-8384-9d82d772024d/Oasis.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Oasis, watercolor on paper, 38”x38”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a7ce3f42-d7e2-4835-8f3f-055609c68573/south+america.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Sequence of “fog-scapes” along the overall rainfall gradient from central Ecuador to central Chile (more detail here). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2da88514-2ab9-4419-a436-2745d91277b4/fray+jorge_aerials.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Bosque Fray Jorge and environs, with the dry lowlands on the left and right sides and the spine of green hills in the center (image from Google Maps). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/fadfe0d6-b3c9-4077-8dcb-92d57c649970/IMG_3653.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Arid landscape along the approach road to Fray Jorge. Unfortunately there’s no walking route linking these lowlands to the oasis in the hills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c78e9b01-2e32-48c1-a77b-d5f13faaab44/IMG_3642.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1e803c55-d93c-4c8e-93ad-001d51315876/IMG_3790.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Bromeliads (foreground) intermingle with cacti in the lower part of the hills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/20a98aeb-9633-443d-9946-f5a0f74fe10b/fray+jorge_aerials2.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Islands of forest in the upper zone of the hills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/09a5b6a6-a62b-476e-a882-687e70b967cb/IMG_3775.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out An area of bromeliads, having flowered earlier in the year, with the dry lowlands in the distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c2fa484f-979e-497a-9d8e-76fe9c5fdfe9/IMG_3676.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out A small clump of forest, patches of shrubs still in leaf, and an errant cactus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/874daa6a-d4e5-44c6-90eb-756aececcf81/fray+jorge_aerials3.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d6c039a4-5678-43c5-bbff-a99a8f23c984/IMG_3697.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a995dd1a-b85f-41df-815d-7ffa08530c10/IMG_3709.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b661d4be-fe1f-4bf0-8bf3-903a2e81f0b5/IMG_3739.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/6eecb69e-676f-4fcc-a1b3-bc4ff93d6501/IMG_3770.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/9a370bc3-5c36-4a2e-b1ea-50fe7f9053ef/IMG_2671-r.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out In these pencil sketches/overlays, I worked on shaping the fragments to capture the motion of stepping upward into the hills (from the lower right corner) and then spiraling inward into the forest (top-center). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1e60a5e8-56cf-4de4-9951-da1fff7f0905/animation_small.gif blog - Oasis - Make it stand out My abstracted path of travel from dry lowlands to wet highlands, along road and boardwalk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/7da3214d-121c-43b9-bdb9-991fbbe05e85/detail1.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Detail, semi-desert zone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/39431a5d-18cd-42a5-9072-5da21c11fd5e/detail4.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Detail, transitional zone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/8acd1e1d-e6b5-47c0-a20b-8e78ed3977c1/detail5.jpg blog - Oasis - Make it stand out Detail, forest zone. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/5/21/fog-scapes monthly 0.5 2022-07-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d931075b-a457-4a54-9cff-164a7dfa8f37/south+america.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Fog-scapes - Make it stand out Four types of fog-scapes along the overall north-south climatic gradient. The dashed arrows on the right give a very rough approximation of where, in terms of precipitation, each fog-scape would fall along the overall (~sea level) gradient. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/cf60c91b-58cd-47ca-83ea-e7c6bad32bd4/IMG_0069.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Fog-scapes - Make it stand out Lowland dry forest/semi-desert on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos.... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/cd5a1b38-7e7a-4898-a7cd-34879c0863cd/IMG_0144.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Fog-scapes - Make it stand out …and Scalesia forest in the highlands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d67985e4-3b6e-4ac1-8ab1-68d6c0b8fdf5/IMG_9170.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Fog-scapes - Make it stand out My photo of somebody else’s photo of the Lomas de Lachay at the height of the fog season, overlooking the desert below. You can find a bunch of my own images here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/50d45c2a-8303-481b-81e9-3408cd59acaf/IMG_1236.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Fog-scapes - Make it stand out Another “fog meadow,” the Lomas de Lucumo, this one right in the city of Lima. This one’ll also make it into watercolor at some point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3c02fe41-77bf-43d5-8b3f-a5e554477eaf/IMG_1973.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Fog-scapes - Make it stand out The uplands of Pan de Azúcar, more lifelike during the foggy season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a068ef49-8bdd-4a98-8a2d-997641c76f52/IMG_1940.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Fog-scapes - Make it stand out The cacti are draped with lichen—here dried out—at higher elevations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2064b95d-3fff-4768-985c-3f3bb6e7f3b5/IMG_3737.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Fog-scapes - Make it stand out A few of the arid coastline from the highlands of Bosque Fray Jorge. The patches of forest (like in the middle-ground) are interspersed with zones of shrubs and bromeliads (foreground). https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/4/1/climate-journeys-ecuador monthly 0.5 2022-06-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/c6379651-cb92-49e0-818e-fc88855895bd/south+america3.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Ecuador - Make it stand out Vegetation and rainfall along the coastal “bulge” from northern Peru to southern Colombia. (Vegetation map adapted from Trewartha; rainfall map adapted from various sources.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/f2a1ba7b-94fb-4093-9576-9b24d5cae8d4/IMG_0610.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Ecuador - Make it stand out Dry forest in Machalilla National Park, looking inland from the beach. (Despite the bad lighting you can see some bluish cacti poking through the canopy.) Later in the year it would be less green, but still not the desert the map would suggest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/43ffae55-7a91-46b2-b1d0-076747eb8e5d/IMG_7599.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Ecuador - Make it stand out Inside the dry forest. (It’s reminiscent of much of the arid zone of the Galápagos Islands, about 900km to the west.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/f7bb634d-7692-4f92-a7ee-f131c031bffd/IMG_0605.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Ecuador - Make it stand out Large forest cacti. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/56729fa1-8b4a-4e51-848f-2e0e20054fd3/IMG_7625.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Ecuador - Make it stand out Fog forest (second-growth) in Machalilla. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3da1e054-51d5-4a62-a120-1d9cd066ad20/IMG_0682.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Ecuador - Make it stand out A few ceibos in (heavily disturbed) forest right along the road. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/de94a1bc-cbb5-4b66-94bc-2c950ce21446/IMG_7644.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Ecuador - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/4/1/climate-journeys-chile monthly 0.5 2022-05-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/7b176606-35ac-4b37-80fd-d24323270df1/south+america.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Pacific South America—climates/biomes (left) and precipitation levels (right). The white arrows represent prevailing wind direction. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d63285cc-eb7e-4b9d-9fe9-dfdee9cc64e9/south+america2.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out The Chile “transect” and my generalized route (the plane travel segment is dashed), with climates/biomes (left) and rainfall levels (right). The trip extended a bit further south than the last image I ended up choosing, to the southernmost airport along the Carretera Austral. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1bc23e16-8cb4-47c1-b4ff-9a8ac875c4f6/IMG_1427.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Candelabra cactus an hour or so east of Arica, in the Quebrada de Cardones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/dedcdd83-a805-4f48-8293-5ecf9b2c5a71/1.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out A river valley cutting through the Atacama. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3fa0cf61-2525-464a-8e2a-d8ea11ec12d5/IMG_3800.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Semi-desert in Fray Jorge National Park, a few hours south of La Serena. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/dea9390d-b02e-4baa-9d2d-399bff52ee46/IMG_3168.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out La Campana National Park with Jubaea chilensis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/5eeaebd5-893f-48b9-b101-af0f617a9be5/IMG_3074.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Cacti and bromeliads in La Campana.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/fb27cc0d-2a2c-4d0d-8aa3-418ba363c1db/15a.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Forest on the southern slope of La Campana. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2fa8bade-0e4f-4d04-a552-cfbc2de575e8/IMG_2309.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d1642ec8-dc5f-4e87-ac25-93760106d754/IMG_9606.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Temperate rainforest near the coast on Chiloé Island. This is probably second-growth forest; the island’s most intact landscapes aren’t easy to access, especially during this period of nearly constant rain when trails were largely flooded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2bcf07a8-82d4-4c92-be07-f2c84d8e5999/IMG_9639.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out A boggy part of the forest, including (on the right) some of the country’s southernmost bromeliads—here in their more expected forest habitat, creating a tropical look. (Having spent time here and in New Zealand/Tasmania, I think that our Pacific Northwest rainforests missed out.on a lot) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/75a1ea2c-fa26-4642-a54f-bc7d11b0bac2/IMG_9694.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Chiloé’s chilly, water-logged, often stunted forests have an evocatively gloomy aspect that’s inspired some creepy mythology. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/76c21ab3-a347-42d1-960d-810b883e96b2/IMG_9713.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Pumalin National Park, with giant Alerce cypress (related to redwoods). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/be87f789-e4de-4ddd-9162-d18f32d6dddb/IMG_9779.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Upper elevations of Queulat National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a9fe8414-5e37-4133-879c-ea411a9a7bbb/IMG_9830.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Chile - Make it stand out Along the drive. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/3/2/climate-journeys-real-world monthly 0.5 2022-08-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/169a1c8e-6fc8-4420-a736-ba87cb2cf514/composite.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Real World - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/33deead4-c594-432a-b2e5-36930e3b7671/overall.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Real World - Make it stand out Global climate zones/biomes. (Adapted from https://kkh.ltrr.arizona.edu/kkh/climate/images/Trewartha.map.lrge.fix.jpg, with my own colors and some creative license with the eastern Black Sea coast—see below.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b6e0672f-80b1-4478-aec4-9b1316dd561c/east.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Real World - Make it stand out “East Coast” climate zones/journeys. As with the generic continent a few of these zones do extend coast-to-coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/89167497-d297-446c-af2e-94467890fc22/Trewartha_CHART.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Real World - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/fb027e83-d02d-4dc6-9345-7db880d411f5/Trewartha3.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Real World - Make it stand out “West Coast” climate zones/journeys. (Note the Eastern Black Sea coast is classified as Subtropical Forest—part of the “East Coast” type—in the Trewartha system but as Temperate Rainforest on other maps. Since it is in fact a rainforest and is on the west coast of a landmass, I’ve gone with the latter designation.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/224dab8c-ac4e-4dab-9d71-87e71a947007/Trewartha_CHART2.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Real World - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1fcd9c2d-06b0-4891-9e75-87e984710094/cross.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Real World - Make it stand out “Cross-Continental” climate zones/journeys. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/afae7ee4-3def-46fa-b401-a49d6545d10f/Trewartha_CHART-r3.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Real World - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/2/10/long-gradients-patterns monthly 0.5 2022-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b0c8d80e-dabf-4926-8ead-8ecbc33e4fe6/generic.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Introduction - Make it stand out There are different climate classification systems out there; this is based on the Trewartha system, though I’ve changed some of the names because I find the original terminology to be a little confusing/inconsistent. I’ve probably sacrificed some accuracy as a result—I think clarity’s more important here, but those of you who are into this stuff, don’t hesitate to call me out on it! (Diagram based on https://www.geocurrents.info/place/australia-and-pacific/australias-climatic-anomalies/attachment/hypothetical-continent-climate-map. ) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/760bbab6-66f4-45ce-a90c-bedb10b2a819/generic2.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Introduction - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/421a2745-7409-421d-b707-2593bc4075bc/generic3.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Introduction - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1b93afac-42a8-4d36-8c62-8bc25ed39957/generic4.jpg blog - Climate Journeys | Introduction - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2022/1/20/habitat monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2477cb13-f53d-4c89-a2d7-a44d45bb1362/AlbumCover.jpg blog - Habitat - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/e92af94a-489a-4fa9-8ff3-47ae3b49a1b2/Habitat.jpg blog - Habitat - Make it stand out Habitat, watercolor on aquabord, 24”x36.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3acf739a-9c01-4429-b1df-ba4180e55dd1/IMG_0559.jpg blog - Habitat - Make it stand out Giant Opuntia cacti—not quite as giant as on some other islands in the archipelago but the only real tree on this one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/bf533a99-535f-4991-901a-223798f4b9d0/IMG_0543.jpg blog - Habitat - Make it stand out Land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a4ee239f-d1ea-469a-b426-2e23b512cc28/animals.jpg blog - Habitat - Make it stand out Enlarged from the watercolor—sea lions, and iguana guarding a cactus pad. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/97fc66ec-6450-48cf-aea9-def8e28c3f8a/gulls.jpg blog - Habitat - Make it stand out Swallow-tailed gulls. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/bf06c869-ae13-4c4e-bf16-883601fe2b88/cacti.jpg blog - Habitat - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/227de5b9-0b2b-4bf3-b59b-e907c9cbea21/animation.gif blog - Habitat - Make it stand out Habitat, the animated journey. The guided hike around the island follows a loop trail, beginning and ending at the jetty. As usual the form of the route is highly abstracted, modified to fit with the selected imagery. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/12/30/rock monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/8dea6af6-2fcb-4a8d-b5e7-b78fc50d3dfa/IMG_0077-1.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out Uluru at sunset. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/2cc5355f-464b-4952-9e84-957c6184b028/IMG_0061.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out Close-up of the rock, with forest at the base. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/3b34bf82-6415-4fbd-a639-72def03c2d1f/IMG_0043.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out Another, more vertical section of the monolith wall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/f97e200b-cff5-4e31-9cba-7e171e2f3ba9/IMG_0016.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out Eucalyptus and sandstone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/0bdb1d2e-2f16-41f8-a586-1c86ed14a6c6/Rock.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out Rock, watercolor on paper, 20”x26,” with fragments depicting views from the 10km base walk and the imagined summit. This is one work where the compositional pattern is inspired by a physical characteristic of the place, in this case the striated patterns in the sandstone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b20288ee-1b64-4f1a-a172-c5859afeabf5/path.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out The highlighted base walk and (lighter) summit trail, somewhat abstracted from the actual routes. The line is broken at the perspective views where I was “standing” off the edge of the paper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1e30edb6-2fd2-47ad-b247-ca4ceb09065a/IMG_0077.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out Cycads at Kings Canyon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/48453165-3bbf-4e5a-9e82-06bb56dc980d/IMG_0058.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out Pool in another part of Kings Canyon, inspiration for the imagined oasis atop Uluru. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/585fb774-340d-44c4-a75f-2cd83e84385f/IMG_0097.jpg blog - Rock - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/11/5/sanctuary-revisited monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/a96bd79a-5ade-4f67-9359-6b2b68194518/Sanctuary+II.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out Sanctuary II, watercolor on paper, 36”x44.” Reality is rotated roughly 180 degrees (with north to the bottom). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/013839af-207c-4b45-92a4-d4be7aa918db/Darren_ResidencyPresentation4.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out The National Park is made up of two disconnected sectors—one containing Strzelecki Peak, the park’s highest elevation, and the other (much smaller) one on a peninsula containing Trousers Point. The park is squeezed into the southwest corner of Flinders Island between ocean and farmland, covering only about 1/20th of the island’s total area. Mountain Seas sits between the two sectors; the larger one is literally in its backyard. The dashed lines trace my three hikes through the park and adjacent natural areas. (Image from Google Earth; north is up.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/82dbdeef-8b40-49c9-9e3b-e0d4d3ce9ba6/IMG_0078.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out View of Strzelecki Peak (in the clouds) across the bay from the peninsula at low tide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/9e691ab3-0105-4ff2-8210-9a95f00056a4/IMG_0073.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out Dry eucalyptus forest with tree fern “gully” along a stream in the low elevations of the park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/36bf780e-9441-4f37-b6da-aa5864e2cdc5/IMG_0088.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out Low, scrubby forest covers the rockier areas of the park. Strzelecki Peak is in the distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/cc276d38-6aef-471b-beb6-6a0f3873978d/IMG_0059.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out More tree ferns in a pocket of rainforest approaching the peak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/96dd5b78-f3f5-400e-a770-b1f63d8ad7f2/IMG_0020.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out View from the peak, looking southwest. Below is Mountain Seas, in the cleared area in the center, and Trousers Point beyond it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/05fd1e08-7a15-4ff0-b74a-1fc17d1aab89/IMG_0039.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out One of the many beaches along the south coast. The red color on the rocks, common across the island, comes from bacteria. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/392514a1-fdb6-4070-8210-383671d6ecb9/IMG_0047.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out Xanthorrhea australis, or grass trees, along the south coast—they tend to prefer rocky or sandy areas. This is a different species of grass tree than the one in the Southwest that I introduced in my last two posts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/0c3c6998-0818-490c-8108-9257743356b8/Sanctuary.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out Sanctuary, watercolor on cut and layered paper, mounted on wood, 15”x15.” North is roughly to the left. As I mentioned this work kicked off my current series, when I left the oil paintings (also “fractured” but with purely landscape perspectives) and watercolor-and-plexiglass works (purely bird’s-eye perspectives) behind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/929dce30-fab2-40c5-9980-a417220380c4/path.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out The work’s three “journeys,” all beginning at Mountain Seas, are generally abstractions of the three routes shown as dashed white lines in the aerial image above (again, with reality rotated 180 degrees). All three are primarily hiking trails but also incorporate some length of road. The first (bottom) mostly follows the two-hour hike to Strzelecki Peak; the second (right) takes in the Trousers Point sector; and the third (top) follows the south coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/d024f9d6-3e10-4c13-af5d-3c2b02eeffdb/detail1.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out Sanctuary II, detail (area around Strzelecki Peak). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/551a7e5b-d728-4ae5-a198-7d62806dadf7/detail2.jpg blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out Sanctuary II, detail (grass trees along the south coast). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/5fb44c10-ec22-4aeb-95bf-2b5b1dcff4e1/Sanctuary-II_animation.gif blog - Sanctuary, Revisited - Make it stand out The three journeys, animated. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/10/7/hotspot-mtmartin monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633636792637-NJ71YO76D7YSWUFJI433/Botanic+Park.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out Botanic Park, watercolor on aquabord, 18”x24.” I haven’t animated my “journey” through this one because it’s a sense of “smallness” that I’ve tried to emphasize rather than distance or extent. (Plus the hike itself wasn’t very linear.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633633988061-05JZY6OF66202054D77U/IMG_0050.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out Kingia australis on Mt. Martin, reaching up to 8m in height. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633634081368-UEK7LVUMO11TFEGDFT6T/IMG_0084+%281%29.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633634224185-LII2CS6MBYXPNBD9AWUG/detail.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out I briefly used this as my Facebook profile pic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633634202628-M6HAJNQP6C0E7Y6OMG8Z/IMG_0121+%281%29.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out This one makes me think of a little kid who’s bad at hide-and-seek. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633634144352-5C2WYLXYZBKUBEES51H3/IMG_0125+%281%29.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out The usual suspects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633634261356-5D4O2LOKES16CIFNTTBP/IMG_0134-1.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out Mt. Martin does have other noteworthy plants, including the region’s most significant remaining stands of the scarlet banksia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633634177283-RI6ZOKDE7GQ8GRUB3UZB/IMG_0060+%281%29.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out A grass tree (Xanthorrhea sp.)—as I wrote last time, it’s actually not closely related to Kingia. This was my favorite Australian plant until I discovered the latter. Kingia tends to have a much “daintier” look. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1633634115566-YR3ZPO5GKUDS4G9NDF30/IMG_0055+%281%29.jpg blog - Hotspot | Mt. Martin (& Muppets) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/9/20/hotspot monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632538117985-OPOCYUN2Q25AUXEGJ5YV/Coastal+vegetation+along+the+ocean+in+Fitzgerald+River+National+Park%2C+Western+Australia. blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Fitzgerald River National Park. It’s also worth noting that the beaches in this region rival those in the tropics; the fact that they’re unfortunately barely swimmable in October (when I was there) was a bit incongruous. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632270823040-GOATI2KAXYEVZC9WCEN2/Natural+bushland+in+Kings+Park+in+the+city+of+Perth%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out An area of natural bushland in Kings Park, Perth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632538152479-95DGX2SZOSL2ZRTTDIP7/Coastal+vegetation+and+rocky+coastline+in+Cape+Le+Grand+National+Park%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Cape Le Grand National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632538204922-S05OP6UXD43BCVJT8RU7/Banksia%2C+Kingia+and+other+vegetation+in+the+bushland+of+Stirling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Stirling Range National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632269480853-C6XVIWGO06QENUVIJSKV/Xanthorrhea+%28grass+trees%29+in+the+bushland+of+John+Forrest+National+Park+near+Perth%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Grass trees (Xanthorrhea sp.), John Forrest National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632271942592-0QCXHTLPU02EQ3UUEREH/Yellow+banksias+in+the+bushland+of+Mt.+Martin+Botanic+Park+in+Gull+Rock+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Banksias, Mt. Martin Botanic Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632272116406-R3PGY64CGC2SQ7N4426S/Cycads+in+the+bushland+of+John+Forrest+National+Park+near+Perth%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Cycads, John Forrest National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632271000145-KQQBBU1CWJ3LG9FGH0N1/A+branching+Xanthorrhea+%28grass+tree%29+in+John+Forest+National+Park+near+Perth%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out A branching Xanthorrhea, John Forrest National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632270957225-QV0V9RZQKM34SAJIAAGU/A+flowering+Xanthorrhea+%28grass+tree%29+in+John+Forest+National+Park+near+Perth%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out And another one in flower nearby. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632272323460-VHBZYHCH3M346XOLNNE7/Darren+Sears+with+Kingia+australis+in+Sterling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Kingia australis, the only member of its genus and only found in this part of Australia. Unlike Xanthorrhea it never branches. (This shot is part of my acclaimed plant-selfie genre :-D ) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632272349117-Q04KSUJ8QCLH4J0RQ3JL/Flowering+Kingia+australis+in+Mt.+Martin+Botanic+Park+in+Gull+Rock+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Kingia is also distinguishable from Xanthorrhea by its radially-arranged flower clusters.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632281919532-7YYSM2VMWO4C8HIMA4HB/Kingia+australis+at+the+base+of+Bluff+Knoll+in+Stirling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632281977405-KLFM8DIRCVHUZWBO5N3O/Red+Banksias+and+Kingia+australis+at+the+base+of+Bluff+Knoll+in+Stirling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632282032855-GMR4AKW7A1KREMR2L9PI/Bushland+on+the+slopes+of+Bluff+Knoll+in+Stirling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632283854619-USIJMQYQHRBY77UAY055/The+slopes+and+rocky+summit+of+Bluff+Knoll+in+Stirling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632283963481-TGWOPKC9691F361OCA6H/Xanthorrhea+%28grass+trees%29+at+the+summit+of+Bluff+Knoll+in+Stirling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632284278722-XUGFQIVOX1KA7HDTQI7Y/View+from+the+summit+of+Bluff+Knoll+in+Stirling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out View from the summit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634586324641-ZN0SLI8ISGGX22AOCHI6/Sears_Bluff_48x36%28unframed%29.jpg blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Bluff, watercolor on paper, 48”x36.” Bluff Knoll itself fills the top half of the composition. In most of my works the shapes of the fragments develop organically in the process of fitting the scenes together, but when possible I try to design the overall pattern to respond to some general quality of the place. In this case it was the fracturing patterns of the geology. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634586624471-VIZZOBOO2ZX92CLJOWNP/Bluff1.jpg blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out Bluff, detail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1632697576322-0G2JNM8URD2WRNKZL8S4/A+cartographic+watercolor+painting+inspired+by+the+landscape+of+Bluff+Knoll+in+Stirling+Range+National+Park+near+Albany%2C+Western+Australia blog - Hotspot | Bluff Knoll - Make it stand out The journey to the top of Bluff Knoll, animated. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/9/3/mapping-the-last-island-key-and-height monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1630783137218-4VYTEQO46YA2QVJAOK4Y/Brightness_Key_Height.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Emergent Elements - Make it stand out Maps of key brightness, relative key, and relative “height,” aligned with the geographical elements they’re meant to evoke. (For complicated reasons I’m now calling them “geographical” instead of “environmental.”) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1630723521079-BT1NG7FQQHU99I5QO72H/notes.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Emergent Elements - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1630778216959-7DV3MKU5ULKIBYOQV6SF/key+complexity_brightness.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Emergent Elements - Make it stand out Relative key, full rainbow gradient. Sharper color contrasts represent sharper contrasts between keys. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1630778290037-Z187XRJJ53I1VV0DHWJP/key_option2.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Emergent Elements - Make it stand out Relative key, red-yellow gradient. Are the contrasts easier to compare even though their range is limited? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1630778584512-NFAQ3H58YXXSIPZQIX31/height_line.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Emergent Elements - Make it stand out Relative “height,” represented in its most literal sense by a rising/falling line. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1630778386213-M0REM4Q2NEZB2AIMXX5Y/HEIGHT.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Emergent Elements - Make it stand out Relative height, rainbow gradient. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1630778442251-K7LORKZGBAJYOAUKIRJM/HEIGHT_option2.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Emergent Elements - Make it stand out Relative “height,” greyscale. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/8/6/highlands monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628287964779-OS03F5T5EV9W57VQPLLQ/View+of+San+Cristobal+Island+in+the+Galapagos+from+the+ocean. blog - Highlands - Make it stand out San Cristóbal Island from the boat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628288122717-4UW80S36FZ0STQUFZLSJ/View+of+cactus+and+lava+rock+in+the+arid+semi-desert+lowlands+of+San+Cristobal+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Cacti and lava rock in the lowlands of San Cristóbal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628288294727-JKHUHL70SLWGRJ902DTF/The+arid+semi-desert+lowlands+of+San+Cristobal+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Another view of the lowland arid zone, notably with the vegetation in leaf (this scene would typically be grey/brown for half the year). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628289015985-TR5ZMPUVOU72UX810TDH/Miconia+shrubland+in+the+wet+and+foggy+highlands+near+El+Junco+lagoon%2C+on+San+Cristobal+in+the+Galapagos+Islands. blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Miconia shrubland in the treeless highland zone, on the hike up to El Junco lagoon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628288437931-FLQAPWM3JT671T4XNJ9X/El+Junco+lagoon+in+the+wet+and+foggy+highlands+of+San+Cristobal+in+the+Galapagos+Islands. blog - Highlands - Make it stand out The misty shores of El Junco. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628288040616-5J5N009W9AXNZ9SL26OB/aerial.jpg blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Aerial view of San Cristóbal with the route(s) of travel depicted in the worldview below. Except for the segment north of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (the main town and the provincial capital) and the loop around El Junco, which are hiking trails, the route consists of the island’s only long-distance road, about 25km long. The oval-shaped area of darker green identifies the wetter highlands, which might stand out more against the lowlands if the image had been taken a different time of the year. This view includes about half of the island, containing the entire highland zone. (Satellite image from Google Maps.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634586237557-DXC5CSP6TIPXXE7G2GT5/Highlands.jpg blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Highlands, watercolor on aquabord, 24”x36.” As mentioned above the arid zone looked relatively lush when I was there, so except where I could incorporate cacti it was a challenge to make a clear distinction between the lowlands and highlands while staying relatively true to the experience. I ended up playing up the browns and purples in the arid scenes and using more yellowish greens (mostly to suggest stronger sunlight). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628291488666-OZ5RDOXMFWH6NSXE2KKX/Highlands_animation.gif blog - Highlands - Make it stand out An animated journey through Highlands, along an abstraction of the actual (yellow) route. It begins as a hike through the semi-desert from Muelle Tijeretas (a diving site) to the main town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, where it picks up the road, rises into the cultivated highlands and passes through the village of El Progreso (mostly hidden beneath the clouds in the aerial fragment). The road emerges into the treeless highlands, where the trip follows a roughly one-hour hike up to and around El Junco lagoon. Returning to the road, the journey runs downhill back into the arid lowlands, ending at the beach at Puerto Chino. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628291965577-90VQP3329UPVTBI08TX5/Shrubland+in+the+wet+and+foggy+highlands+near+El+Junco+lagoon+on+San+Cristobal+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628291918379-NT5021B3GR7XCK975AMN/Ferns+in+the+wet+and+foggy+highlands+near+El+Junco+lagoon+on+San+Cristobal+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628291781136-JXGHP8V8C5OTHN9IALDM/Ferns+in+the+wet+and+foggy+highlands+near+El+Junco+lagoon+on+San+Cristobal+Island+in+the+Galapagos blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1628291741315-IIDMLZYM9AHX71ZC99J0/The+wet+and+foggy+highlands+near+El+Junco+lagoon+on+San+Cristobal+Island+in+the+Galapagos blog - Highlands - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/5/21/musical-maps-note-length monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1627171538512-WS7FIBDE0I5WLM2DVY7P/A+musical+map blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Note Length - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1627171572174-OWWX48OK81FK1WHIDJJP/ScoreAnalysis_ATTACK3.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Note Length - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/7/1/fog-meadows monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1626057917922-K4NAJKFODVAZ4O9XEKKO/Barren+desert+at+the+entrance+to+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+on+the+Panamerican+Highway+in+Peru. blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out The Lomas de Lachay Reserve entrance at the Panamerican Highway, about 100m above sea level. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1626057948530-BQITBJ0RX0NXO1T61YP6/Lush+desert+oasis+in+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru. blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out The heart of the Reserve and oasis at about 400m. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625602058990-YHIJCHTC67MZ7JSIBOL9/map.jpg blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out A Google Maps view of the Reserve during the non-fog season, with the main path highlighted (the straight part is the gravel entry road). The fog is heavily seasonal, generally present from June to October; during the rest of the year the entire landscape turns brown, here still visible as darker than the surrounding desert. Actually I had visited this site before, back in 2001, during the dry season and had vowed to return someday during the “right” time of year. I surprised myself a bit by actually following through on that twenty years later. But as you’ll see below, I sort of missed the mark again by getting there in late October at the very tail end of the wet season when the landscape was not at its most vibrant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1626058315109-029W3PZI6258SE3FNJND/Barren+Desert+along+the+Panamerican+Highway+at+the+entrance+to+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru. blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out At the Reserve entrance, on the Panamerican highway, the landscape is completely devoid of visible plant life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625188062973-XCP9Q5C6MVGEG7H7Q51A/Dry+lower+elevations+of+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru. blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out Entering the reserve, groundcover-like plants (a couple centimeters high) appear after just a few meters of elevation gain. During the height of the fog season, when the moisture spreads consistently over a larger area, this zone would be green. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625188103930-V1JJ81PN0I8KHF4IAWK7/Dry+lower+elevations+of+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru. blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out The groundcover gradually transitions to taller grasses and herbs… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625188149892-J26YZ9HO1WUA0IA1YUX6/Grasses+and+wildflowers+in+the+lower+elevations+of+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru. blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out …that become denser and greener. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625188185513-86H63VD0TSNAXLEKDQYB/Grasses+and+wildflowers+in+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru. blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out Seen looking back downhill, the gradient is particularly striking given the gentleness of the slope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625188274829-E6R8WAQ91BW3LMEWCICS/Lush+desert+oasis+in+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out At the center of the oasis the trees appear; a month or so earlier this landscape would’ve been even greener. The ivy-like species, climbing the bases of the trees and covering much of the ground, I suspect is exotic, though I couldn’t find out for sure. About half of the reserve’s plant species are non-native, the result of past grazing activity plus some unenlightened land management practices. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625188310821-K5Z7KM06W7PPQKQCQI35/Bromeliads+on+rocky+cliffs+in+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out The trail up to the ridgeline, increasingly rugged, passes by clusters of bromeliads. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625188520128-Q0R1VQZZCWEMU2OXXBQH/Trail+along+a+ridgeline+in+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out Approaching the ridgeline the vegetation dries out again, probably because this late in the season the fog isn’t as concentrated as in the valleys lower down (to the right). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625188973323-7I0OYCU3YWDT6US644ET/Cacti+and+dry+rocky+grassland+and+in+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+Reserve+in+Peru. blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out On the north side of the ridge (to the left in the ridgeline photo above) the landscape becomes even drier with every meter of descent, with barren desert again farther below and in the distance. Cacti appear on the upper slopes where the fog spills over the ridgeline to some degree. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625189022007-F720TACTKSB2B59DAG6A/IMG_1405.jpg blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out Looping back down into the valley, looking back southward toward the desert and the coast. Again a few months earlier the foreground would be even greener, and most of the dark brown in the distance would be green as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634586126834-3HAW95GTSI5MPSBW65C4/Fog+Meadows.jpg blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out Fog Meadows (watercolor on paper, 36”x48”) captures my experience of walking this route through the Reserve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625608214782-AFF39JCX55ER7F0JDKIP/Lachay-animation.gif blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out The journey, animated. As in my other works depicting distinct routes of travel, you can see that the path (in red) is a greatly distorted version of the real thing (in yellow above), shaped by compositional considerations as well as the relative “experiential weight” of the different segments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1625608610532-BO9K4OI0PJWPMKPRKH8W/IMG_9170.jpg blog - Fog Meadows - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/6/6/mirador monthly 0.5 2023-11-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623346605482-6Q1VII5M7AQ5W7V8638P/MAP_labeled.jpg blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Robinson Crusoe Island, with wet east side and dry west side (the barren areas east of the main ridgeline muddle the picture a bit—they’re generally the result of deforestation and erosion rather than aridity). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623023008009-91X5WXQ5Q76I81GHIW3D/San+Juan+Bautista+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile%2C+with+forest%2C+clouds+and+mountains+behind. blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out San Juan Bautista, the only population center in the archipelago, on the east coast of Robinson Crusoe with the island’s main ridgeline behind. This coastline has a Mediterranean climate, but essentially all of the island’s native lowland vegetation has been removed or replaced. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623028211229-PA8F0555HCT4S6NYJNM8/Juania+australis+palm+in+lush+cloudforest+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out A rare specimen of Juania australis in the cloud forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623028757558-C2WETD5CLP6RNS4ZJSNT/Juania+australis+palm+in+lush+cloudforest+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Me with another palm specimen in habitat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623284646502-4ODOCZGNW1KZ033CAAXV/Eroded+and+deforested+mountainous+landscape+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Panoramic near Cerro Pascua, where a combination of deforestation and runaway fires (lit intentionally, though I forget the reason—I don’t think this area was planted or grazed) has left all of the lowlands and much of the highlands barren and eroded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623285001024-HRZDGU3Z0EHSICKNTAKT/Eroded+landscape+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Wooden dams have had some effect on slowing erosion in these gullies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623285141363-7YWEHVA2S8SH8TOIVQX3/Rainforest+relict+in+an+eroded+mountainous+landscape+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out One of the pockets of forest that has escaped the fires. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623286727282-BHYAA180CPIZ1O5SHCVN/IMG_3226.jpg blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Even where the tree canopy remains, the understory is completely bare and dessicated in most places due to foraging by exotic animals, especially rabbits. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623286836147-6K6R30J4ELH64XG2KBVI/Rainforest+relict+in+an+eroded+mountainous+landscape+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Another forest pocket, in this case cloud forest, clinging to the ridgeline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623286917272-8WLKX8LUU4IGAXWPFH8L/Degraded+mountainous+landscape+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Large areas of forest have been mostly taken over if not replaced by invasive trees—in this view, that includes all of the bright green on the lower slopes (the native trees are more purplish). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623287682745-WKYOALZYNVLYJ22JL4AR/Ferns+in+relict+cloudforest+near+Damajuana+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623521797480-0VVYT9BN7676U588OVSB/Ferns+in+relict+cloudforest+near+Damajuana+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623287709042-5WTLIGGZ6RDR0PXYUTZ9/Ferns+in+relict+cloudforest+near+Damajuana+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623859819126-PF0AIA99AMECJSG8OOED/Relict+cloudforest+near+Damajuana+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out You can see a few scattered palms in the lower right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623029057960-76PARM0J8NBUE6VN8ELO/View+of+the+arid+western+end+of+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile%2C+from+the+cloudforest+at+Mirador+Selkirk blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out View across the cloud forest to the arid western tip of the island, from Mirador Selkirk (an observation point) on the main ridgeline. Pockets of the forest ahead are in decent shape but essentially everything behind, from the town up to and including the ridgeline vegetation in the foreground, is exotic. And, like on the eastern part of the island, the bright green vegetation is also not native. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623029738606-K185CUTMEXZQL2OBARQ2/Lush+cloudforest+near+Mirador+Selkirk+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out A relatively intact area of cloud forest just below the ridgeline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623186192641-H1EYGNFZW0487HXG09P7/Juania+australis++palms+on+a+ridgeline+near+Mirador+Selkirk+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Looking back at a few Juania australis on the ridgeline, one of the few places where clusters of them have been able to survive (elsewhere it’s just one here and there). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623029789352-R64RY09G2HI1FMPWY4U7/Gunnera+in+lush+cloudforest+near+Mirador+Selkirk+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out A bit further downslope, with an endemic species of Gunnera in the foreground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623187329410-YIK972U6LGDRKWXL26KU/Dramatic+ridgeline+and+mountains+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Dropping below the forest into (non-native) grassland and ranchland. This zone might’ve been naturally treeless, but was definitely more structurally and biologically diverse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623186989195-YTKYPO60BA7U4GS89ZMQ/Wet+and+dry+landscapes+and+dramatic+mountain+topography+of+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Moving further west as the landscape becomes progressively drier. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623208042164-I99QQXBHZVILF28UMAOP/Tree+ferns+in+a+dry+rocky+landscape+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out A few rainforest species, like these tree ferns, hang on in scattered spots of the dry zone where there’s groundwater. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623208291720-6WE9OJQRO4IZRMHI7BVP/Dry+barren+landscape+and+airport+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out The hike ends at the airport, in the desert at the western tip of the island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634586032519-88DUHKCJERT1M86E9B7B/Sears_Mirador_48x28%28unframed%29.jpg blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Mirador, watercolor on paper, 48”x28.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623538349867-FRCRQDG5C1LZQFMZ2NOR/animation_small.gif blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out The journey from wet to dry (bottom to top), animated view-by-view. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1623287620511-9CTF34GSRTC6S2R0SZ2C/Ferns+in+lush+relict+cloudforest+near+Damajuana+on+Robinson+Crusoe+Island%2C+Chile blog - Robinson Crusoe Island - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/5/21/mapping-the-last-island monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1621715126137-3J8OV17ENNEXSXP33SKJ/model.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Structure - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1621721235261-BBZ13MV91OKZI4Y6H4BU/ScoreAnalysis_PATH.jpg blog - Mapping "The Last Island" | Structure - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/4/23/musical-time-and-space monthly 0.5 2022-08-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1619218780084-4GGVB6I5J8Y8HFRNKEK3/thumbnail.jpg blog - Musical Time & Space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1619300621143-A0QJ7KUALNME8EV1NFKA/maps.jpg blog - Musical Time & Space Aerial photograph of La Gomera, Canary Islands (Google Maps). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1619301346545-SUQI4PGIRG04Z3HFBFOG/maps2.jpg blog - Musical Time & Space Divide (watercolor on paper, 20”x20”)—a spatially-distorted re-imagination of La Gomera’s geographical space. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1619314903542-ABWPYWCE2LZS59WL951X/maps3.jpg blog - Musical Time & Space Divide with path of travel overlaid in red, and the different views numbered in succession. Note that in this case travel can go in either direction. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1619314945750-NH5EQM731E1ZTH8TU3WO/maps4.jpg blog - Musical Time & Space The psycho-geographical space of Divide with “musical elements” incorporated into the two axes, adding a musical component to the route of travel through time (and space). Below I’ll say more about the musical elements themselves and what I mean by “horizontal.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1619303495003-W1O5Z4IY1B5HWKNOLQPP/maps7.jpg blog - Musical Time & Space Divide again, with a representation of an actual musical score aligned with the path of travel through time (and space). Here the vertical musical axis has been added in, and the horizontal axes are now more literally horizontal (lying flat). Note that this vertical axis has nothing to do with a vertical visual or environmental axis (representing, say, topography)—that’s been compressed into the 2D painted representation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1619384911777-F1A2WTHNCZ14K7NRGT6I/maps7.jpg blog - Musical Time & Space A modified musical route through Divide, with the gap and disjointed piece at the end evoking a mental “jump” back in the direction already traveled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1619374242095-IDD5I1TNH8A4HU1BO16L/strip-drive.jpg blog - Musical Time & Space Divide deconstructed into individual views (numbered at the bottom per the map) that could be animated to accompany the hypothetical musical composition as in The Last Island. The two horizontal axes from the model and maps above, representing psycho-geographical space, are here merged into a single axis that still incorporates both musical and visual (painted) elements. Those elements vary in tandem as the listener-viewer travels forward through time (and space) in the direction of the dotted red arrow representing the straightened-out travel path from the map/worldview. The vertical musical axis stays vertical, aligned with the score. All the arrows have become straight lines because geographical space here is one-dimensional—itself more of a path than space. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/4/02/long-gradients-transects-cont monthly 0.5 2021-04-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1617298654030-O9FY9J62TSP92AXZUM3Y/display.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Transects (cont.) Diagrammatic exhibit incorporating a photo-transect (in this case along a precipitation gradient) with supporting imagery, numbered according to the above outline. In actuality it would be much, much longer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1617298719416-4OCRW2HVF6TOARK5KKAV/display2.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Transects (cont.) A wet-dry gradient illustrated by quantifying the frequency of rectangular vs circular fields, represented respectively by blue and red dots on an aerial photograph. (Satellite images from Google Maps.) https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/3/10/long-gradients-time-travel monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1615413715062-HEQJ6VS7IKG0EEG13PH0/flight+map.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Time Travel The flight path and photo locations, produced in Lightroom. Each number on the orange rectangles represents the number of photos taken near that spot (they’re grouped together only because I’m zoomed far out). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1615414172434-P196M9VE8E5MFB72D3QJ/flight-small.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Time Travel The photographic transect (from upper left to lower right) along the flight path in the map above. If I hadn’t made this for screen viewing I would’ve arranged them in a single row—or maybe, now that I’m seeing it, the stacking doesn’t necessarily muddle the effect? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1615438636900-98500QL5VOP4LSYI0AU3/image1.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Time Travel This 2.5 min. video from my Kilimanjaro climb (the Lemosho Route) is really an animated photographic transect—a succession of still photos (taken at about every 50’ of elevation gain) laid out in time rather than in space. Shooting continuous video would’ve been barely possible, not to mention a bad way to experience the climb. Plus, along a short, elevational gradient, variations in slope mean that continuous shooting wouldn’t accurately capture vegetation changing in response to elevation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1615438795412-SBDM1XMZFJY18PSBS1MN/image2.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Time Travel The Kilimanjaro ascent, accelerated. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/2/18/photographictransects monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1613665424387-W1FTCLEL2Z3RI4V2ZCI6/transition_north.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Photographic Transects A photographic transect across the northern half of Santa Cruz Island from the arid coastal zone into the wet highland zone (traveling from bottom to top, north to south). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1613616416515-SGKO2YKE0HH7Z6572OWQ/IMG_3737.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Photographic Transects A tiny outpost of Valdivian (Chilean temperate) rainforest in Fray Jorge National Park, surrounded by desert. Fed by coastal fog, it’s many hundreds of miles north of the rainforests of Patagonia. Crossing the abrupt forest-desert edge it’s the anomalous island character of the forest that stands out, but zooming way out, you could think of it as a milestone marking the rainforest’s northernmost limit along Chile’s north-south gradient from dry to wet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1613615281079-21YGPRYB09FYWL28F8YC/IMG_3773.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Photographic Transects The lush interior of the forest pocket. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1613606484353-XFGSJBGBP5555PZIK8WQ/maps_gradient.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Photographic Transects Satellite image (overlaid on a rainfall gradient) of the central segment of the drive; the yellow numbers identify the locations of the photos in the transect below. (Satellite image from Google Maps; rainfall map from https://gisgeography.com/us-precipitation-map/) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1613606248982-A2QXDVGH26PZ5BW3DXES/gradient+strip.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Photographic Transects Landscape transect along the central segment of the westward drive, the photos numbered based on their locations on the diagram above. One challenge with this type of representation is making it legible given the size of the photos—and this one has many, many fewer than there ought to be. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1613611359387-WBL1QEEIKXDP7YGAO58N/forest.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Photographic Transects Patches of forest like this are common in eastern Oklahoma, but less so than further east (and they have a “drier” aspect to them)—they’d only work in the transect if it included enough additional views, in the right ratios, to show the patches in this context. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1613610019867-M8W6096COWL1DVNRIOED/tension.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Photographic Transects These two views about 20 miles east of the New Mexico border are less than three miles apart. They’re not actually that different from each other, but to me the right looks like the Great Plains and the left looks like the West. (The shrubs are cholla cacti.) I could’ve included this “tension zone” in the above transect if every one of the views had been spaced at a similarly small interval rather than the current average spacing of about 100mi. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/1/25/long-gradients monthly 0.5 2022-08-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1611687463513-DRDUUU8229IW5KM4PO1E/la+gomera.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Introduction La Gomera in the Canary Islands—a dramatic example of a small-scale climatic gradient (my typical focus). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1611687553284-KBNLAEV53X61QN3H60UQ/maps2.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Introduction Our two routes across the U.S., overlaid on a precipitation map. The thicker yellow lines represent the segments (mentioned above) where the gradient is most obvious, for simplicity and familiarity’s sake from Cheyenne to Chicago and St. Louis to Albuquerque (roughly bisected by Omaha and Oklahoma City, respectively). The yellow box in the legend highlights the precipitation bands that fall within these segments. (Map from https://gisgeography.com/us-precipitation-map/) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1611687605886-0RFOKSTEUUR84QGDZUER/maps.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Introduction Green-to-brown gradients along the two routes (the thick yellow lines in the first diagram), with the six cities at the start-, end-, and mid-points outlined in black. The yellow numbers show the locations of the photos below. (Satellite views from Google Maps) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1611782453351-9H6L27JMV2Q5BQC9P8BL/strip2.jpg blog - Long Gradients | Introduction A few views from the car driving westward along the southern route (from bottom to top) giving a taste of the wet-to-dry transition. The numbers identify their locations on the satellite view in diagram. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2021/1/5/mt-taranaki monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1609880348001-Z86KXKL1XNCZDZRWKPYD/A+view+of+the+snowcapped+volcano+Mt.+Taranaki%2C+surrounded+by+clouds%2C+in+New+Zealand. blog - Mt. Taranaki The distinctive profile of Mt. Taranaki, seen from the farmland below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1609880526369-6WSF3SEHIZU8D75X6D57/Untitled-1.jpg blog - Mt. Taranaki Google Maps view of the volcano and adjacent farmland, showing the circular national park boundary and concentric ecological zones https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1609948939843-HLYZK2IS31306YP4SXTT/Tree+ferns+in+rainforest+at+the+base+of+the+volcano+Mt.+Taranaki+in+New+Zealand. blog - Mt. Taranaki Tree ferns in the rainforest on the lower slopes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1609881383090-LDAZSFBRI3OS71U1O5YA/Cordyline+indivisa+in+the+rainforest+of+Mt.+Taranaki+in+New+Zealand. blog - Mt. Taranaki More rainforest, a little higher up, with the rare Cordyline indivisa (the spiky plants). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1609881719216-CBD0OV3Y50E41XZFYH8J/IMG_5979.jpg blog - Mt. Taranaki View downslope from the montane shrubland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1609881012306-08Z12FSUMOBYYLATO2C8/Alpine+grassland+below+the+snowcapped+peak+of+Mt.+Taranaki+in+New+Zealand. blog - Mt. Taranaki View of the summit from the grassland zone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1609881031198-TK6B7BVMLFWJ69OIBTLA/Ecological+zonation%2C+with+grassland%2C+shrubland%2C+rainforest%2C+and+farmland%2C+on+the+slopes+of+Mt.+Taranaki+in+New+Zealand. blog - Mt. Taranaki Looking downslope across the multiple vegetation zones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634585931224-0HE4VP4ZK74MKAGUGNEA/Sears_Cone_36x36%28unframed%29.jpg blog - Mt. Taranaki Cone, watercolor on paper, 36”x36.” https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/12/6/tongariro monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607367974432-9IS3ZK5ODWFL0FVU7OTJ/The+volcano+Ngauruhoe+with+clouds+and+alpine+landscape+in+Tongariro+National+Park+in+New+Zealand blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing Mt. Ngauruhoe is Tongariro’s most iconic volcano and was the stand-in for Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings. It last erupted in 1975. (The Alpine Crossing winds around the base of the volcano on the opposite side, at a much higher elevation.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607368332105-SD270YW9UGLQ8BDX2JG8/Alpine+volcanic+landscape+along+the+Tongariro+Alpine+Crossing+at+sunrise+in+New+Zealand. blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing Near the start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, just after sunrise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607369142644-MD34IVOW02ILO345D30U/The%252Bsummit%252Bof%252Bthe%252Bvolcano%252BMt.%252BNgauruhoe%252Balong%252Bthe%252BTongariro%252BAlpine%252BCrossing%252Bin%252BNew%252BZealand.jpg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing Reaching the crater rim of Mt. Ngauruhoe (about a one-hour climb, not officially part of the Crossing). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607441420577-DWUMEX3O3YNTTH8YMPOT/View+of+the+Blue+Lake+from+the+summit+of+the+volcano+Ngauruhoe+along+the+Tongariro+Alpine+Crossing+in+New+Zealand. blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing View of the Blue Lake from the summit of Mt. Ngauruhoe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607369171128-3IC0MK1H7WZ7RVHKNA3W/The+Red+Crater+along+the+Tongariro+Alpine+crossing+in+New+Zealand. blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing The Red Crater, at the midpoint of the hike. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607369310874-U2XJQTPUYYNZDY9Z5RKB/The+turquoise+waters+of+the+volcanic+Emerald+Lakes+along+the+Tongariro+Alpine+crossing+in+New+Zealand. blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing The Emerald Lakes. Without the Ngauruhoe side trip I would’ve beat the crowds, but I was actually a little inspired by the way they created their own jarring human-wild juxtaposition—the pedestrian (literally) in the presence of the surreal. The lakes felt “domesticated” in a way that, as I’ve gone into before, I find empowering despite the negative impacts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607369835757-H779H6DLUDHC1KWJSM9B/Close-up+of+the+surreal+turquoise+water+of+the+Emerald+Lakes+along+the+Tongariro+Alpine+Crossing+in+New+Zealand. blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing In places along the edges of the lakes, the water resembles turquoise smoke. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607441303487-OVZLOUZS6BFAQDY40ZBW/Mt.+Ngauruhoe+and+the+Red+Crater%2C+volcanoes+along+the+Tongariro+Alpine+Crossing+in+New+Zealand. blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing View back toward the Red Crater and, behind it, Mt. Ngauruhoe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607370037523-5862A2FIJV3YOXLC8PG2/Alpine+grassland+along+the+Tongariro+Alpine+Crossing+in+New+Zealand%2C+with+a+view+of+the+forest+and+fields+beyond+the+park. blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing Beginning the descent toward the end of the hike, from alpine grassland below the lava fields down to forest and farmland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634585882456-AHW0K782XTFAEMICX1EX/Alpine+Crossing.jpg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing Alpine Crossing, watercolor on paper, 23”x20.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607440535800-1TCUXXD6NAMT368CM9F3/animation.gif blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing Abstracted route of the day-long Tongariro Alpine Crossing, with each segment described below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607374735741-O7BSRQTFVBFSTDIIOYIL/journey1.jpg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing 1. Beginning the hike at sunrise in alpine shrubland/grassland that soon gives way to bare gravel and rock. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607374790826-ND3E0N7FVEAVGKIRSBOK/journey2.jpg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing 2. Continuing through the volcanic landscape, approaching Mt. Ngauruhoe. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607372213501-ACNL7RKPAT2BMTPP017S/journey3.jpg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing 3. Reaching the summit and snow-filled crater of Mt. Ngaurauhoe, an hour-long climb off the main trail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607374851300-CL8PN5F86ZMNQVY0C660/journey4.jpg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing 4. Descending the mountain again and continuing around the other side. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607374902609-UG9WRNZ1RL700J5GJURV/journey5.jpg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing 5. Overlooking and then weaving between the Emerald Lakes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607375088757-I5R5Y2FPJEW4CA9W1DYI/journey6.jpg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing 6. Passing by the Blue Lake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607375453295-TK5399FGWNRU58VAJ2ME/image-asset.jpeg blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing 7. And finally, re-entering the grassland and overlooking the final descent. The last hour or so of the hike passes through rainforest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1607375776518-SUBCG342J60YNVL3Q6G3/The+volcano+Ngauruhoe+in+Tongariro+National+Park+in+New+Zealand+with+a+pink+and+purple+sky+at+sunrise. blog - Tongariro Alpine Crossing Mt. Ngauruhoe again from the other side, peeking through the clouds at sunrise. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/11/15/urban-wilds-san-francisco monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605721875427-M6R7I7ZFUYAXC4ZDOD9J/A+fractured+watercolor+painting+inspired+by+Twin+Peaks+and+the+city+of+San+Francisco. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco Peaks, watercolor on paper, 42”x37.” The north peak—near the center of the composition, with the upside-down steps—is meant to be the focal point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605727551216-QG1MT6B3YQXJVO4R7DXR/A+street+in+Noe+Valley+in+San+Francisco%2C+with+Twin+Peaks+in+the+distance. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco The streets of San Francisco, with Twin Peaks in the distance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605727671127-NYNKBMLE9IPNW7HUU6T5/City+street+in+Liberty+Hill+in+San+Francisco%2C+with+Twin+Peaks+in+the+distance. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605727912720-ZM3TZ0QD0C5XD3EY6CJX/A+street+in+San+Francisco+with+Twin+Peaks+in+the+distance. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco View of the park from the streets climbing the lower slopes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605727996733-GJH729XYYIUV0FUGMT58/A+street+in+San+Francisco+approaching+Twin+Peaks. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605728061125-YTZTIMJ6ZHYCBNO12Y6S/A+street+in+San+Francisco+next+to+Twin+Peaks. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco A tiny glimpse of the park between buildings a few streets away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605728150580-NPA9EV2BUJ74VANHGQMJ/A+street+in+San+Francisco+next+to+Twin+Peaks. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco Reaching the urban-wild edge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605728211600-8AU3VOF4JPJYHAI1XL2G/View+of+the+city+of+San+Francisco+from+the+urban+park+of+Twin+Peaks. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco City vista from below the north peak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1605728270089-UTX6J7B15W1XPSA2BRA5/The+top+of+Twin+Peaks+in+San+Francisco. blog - Urban Wilds | San Francisco View of the south peak from the summit of the north peak. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/10/20/urban-wilds- monthly 0.5 2020-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1603912185951-EH2EMLMOQVGEU1W3YC7P/diagrams+layout.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Wilds Gradient The wilds gradient model shown diagrammatically, with the three concentric zones described below. White areas represent urbanization. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1603912233679-VKL30650TBXVMU2D6MNC/example+layout.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Wilds Gradient The wilds gradient model as applied to a hypothetical “real” city, overlaid with the same zones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1603323526943-P11850LY62HDDJAA8LSJ/overall.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Wilds Gradient Fitting the wilds gradient into the “island civilization” approach to planning on a more regional scale. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/9/29/urban-wilds-ecocities monthly 0.5 2020-10-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1601939012540-AFEW0B3SR0MQAV6GBXSF/A+town+along+the+Amalfi+Coast%2C+Italy. blog - Urban Wilds | Ecocities The complex three-dimensionality of the ecocity vision takes some inspiration from European hill towns, like this one on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. (Photo by me.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1601939147936-POM29250PU65ND9UPQEM/SF.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Ecocities Ecocity concepts, developed by Richard Register, applied to the San Francisco Bay Area. At lower left, densifying the city of Berkeley into distinct ecovillages, with agriculture and natural habitat in-between. At right, a similar approach to the wider region—withdrawing from zones prone to flooding from rising sea levels—in a poster entry (called “Bigger Bay Ecotropolis”) for the 2009 Rising Tides competition sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). At upper left, an ecocity vision for downtown San Francisco. (Drawings by Richard Register.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1601939502286-P9N1J6G4427N6P7FO8H2/29+keyhole+plaza+2+copy+39.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Ecocities “Keyhole plazas” are an ecocity design feature meant to draw in views of the natural landscape beyond. (Drawing by Richard Register.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1601939408771-K5B9DA1KWJ9PSHVPW0WE/26%2C+a+downtown%2C+car+city+33.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Ecocities Before and after: densifying a downtown and at the same time drawing in (or restoring) natural elements. (Drawings by Richard Register). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1602128410938-2FPZRSJ64YZLGNNXZTQX/image-asset.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Ecocities A major component of the Galápagos Evolution and Ecocites conference was to be a design workshop for an actual ecovillage in one of two locations in the Islands. Richard developed this concept for one such project on the outskirts of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal Island, with organism-like complexity and three-dimensionality providing ample shade and connectivity. (Drawing by Richard Register.) https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/9/8/urban-wilds-design monthly 0.5 2020-10-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1599778901053-26MSGWV3BMEL5KQ4RACZ/Untitled-1.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Extremes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1599786406334-HBPA3RX8G20PDLDF3DBO/image1.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Extremes Honxing Community, Dalian, China, 2009, by Sasaki. A number of Landscape Urbanist tropes are visible here; even in cases where they’re more convincing than this, they need to be weighed against the costs of urban expansion. The arrangement of the buildings is inspired by ecological forms of the valley site, though in the ultimate example of aesthetics over ecological function, that ecology has been built over. The green roofs and interstitial ground plantings, even if they looked anything like the original vegetation, would obviously be no replacement for it. (Andrés Duany, “An Album of Images,” in Landscape Urbanism and its Discontents. Original image source: Sasaki & Associates, Intersection & Convergence.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1599786355990-ELVL8A9RPLC7OEB8LLDI/image0.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Extremes Plan of Charleston, SC. On the left, the compact, high-density city as it is, analogous to “island civilization” (in this case, nearly a literal island). On the right, a re-thinking of the city along Landscape Urbanist lines, with natural elements (waterways in this case) rather than streets as structuring elements. The latter is one-quarter as dense, with the other three-quarters forced to go somewhere else—say, to a nearby undisturbed wetland. Charleston wouldn’t be Charleston in the right-hand version, and those strips of coastal habitat would also be better off preserved in that other wetland than mixed with streets and buildings. On the other hand—no, it wouldn’t be Charleston, but it could be some other community that you know and find inspiring. Its environmental deficiencies are real, but it would go to far to say it has no value from a human, experiential standpoint. In designing new cities, it isn’t necessarily either-or. (Duany, “An Album of Images,” in Discontents. Original image source: Duany Plater-Zyberk.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1599791098770-WSR4NEJPGGGAUJCC1378/1200px-High_Line%2C_New_York_2012_20.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Extremes The Highline in New York City—one of the best-known examples of Landscape Urbanist-inspired design. It’s limited in scope, more purely landscape architecture than urban design, like the majority of such projects that have gotten built, but it’s shaped urban character through a decidedly landscape-based move. There have been the unsurprising issues with maintenance and installation—vegetation has been planted rather than “colonizing” on its own as planned—but the project illustrates how an urban space conceived as much as an ecological showcase as a recreational space can be successful (not to mention profitable from a real-estate perspective). (High Line, New York by Mike Peel licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.) https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/7/18/urban-wilds-symbolic-meaning monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1597791577202-R7PGS8NR4879UOFFSID0/View+of+New+York+City+skyscrapers+from+the+Ramble+in+Central+Park blog - Urban Wilds | Sacred and Profane New York City skyscrapers viewed from Central Park. Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park as an antidote to the ills of urban life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1597792773936-WARC4TL2CZZOLKJQWUYT/image-asset.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Sacred and Profane The Ramble in Central Park, a “wild” landscape intended to impart what were seen as some of nature’s beneficial qualities: complexity and intrigue. It’s largely artificial, having been planted from scratch with largely non-native species, but has transplanting what would’ve been experienced as “wild nature” into the city had any effect on how the urban-nature relationship is viewed? More thoughts on that later. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1597782565950-4JL52P117CUR538US1NF/Untitled-1.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Sacred and Profane Puerto Ayora, the largest population center in the Galápagos lslands. For the most part the town is compact and its boundary sharp (at least on the east side; the western half is a failed, partially-built lower-density development that should never have been approved). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1597782510598-DYFGCO8C1BQ721RLR7AT/street.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Sacred and Profane Civilization meets nature at the edge of Puerto Ayora. The sharp edge feels like a dramatic threshold, underscoring the fact that you’re about to enter something different and special. Those adjectives are truly understatements in the case of the Galápagos environment—if there’s any place where the “island civilization” concept should be strictly applied, it’s here. But these islands haven’t avoided the image of an unequal “other,” whether that means inferior to us or superior; both attitudes exist and have brought their own problems. While something as straightforward and tangible as the form of the urban perimeter can’t be held responsible for reinforcing these attitudes, let alone generating them, there is value in thinking about how it might symbolize a more cooperative relationship. And if not here, than for larger urban areas in other places. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/7/18/urban-wilds-symbolic-meaning-b4yfw monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1596050067876-PKSDB0UOLWH1E0X5AK53/A+few+of+rainforest+and+granite+cliffs+in+Tijuca+National+Park%2C+from+the+streets+of+Rio+de+Janeiro. blog - Urban Wilds | Identity Parque Nacional da Tijuca again, rising dramatically from the center of Rio. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1596050252247-MED9YVGHX53E7EZRF15G/Steps+and+shrubland+on+Twin+Peaks%2C+an+urban+park+in+San+Francisco. blog - Urban Wilds | Identity Twin Peaks, an iconic landform near the geographical center of San Francisco. The ecosystem is threatened by invasive species and foot traffic, but it represents a relatively intact remnant of native California grassland and shrubland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1596050896143-CC6TDWFL7A9JRTPSYKY8/View+of+Twin+Peaks+from+the+city+streets+of+San+Francisco. blog - Urban Wilds | Identity As the city’s second-highest point, visible from many neighborhoods, how important is the landscape of Twin Peaks to the city’s identity? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1596050550382-QWHVZ7OV6YQC9UQ32UBC/View+of+Buena+Vista+Park+in+San+Francisco. blog - Urban Wilds | Identity Buena Vista Park is another of San Francisco’s hilltop open spaces. Unlike Twin Peaks, and the majority of the city’s parkland not used for active recreation, it’s been converted to forest. It’s cooler, less windy, and arguably more interesting, but what has it lost as a result? Throughout the city there are controversial plans to return pieces of parkland back to their original open landscapes. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/7/2/urban-wilds monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594168348025-GQ7IUIWZTB9H0XPKED2H/Final+Illustrative_cropped.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro The four sectors of Parque Nacional da Tijuca (my drawing superimposed on Google Earth). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594155196323-L9L1T4ENRTTSMOI43MX1/00020002.JPG blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro View from near the summit of Pico da Tijuca, the park’s highest point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594156409830-4802ATU1D7NAZAI5EOZ8/00020012.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro Remnants of infrastructure from Tijuca’s coffee-growing era. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594164067865-QW7XQDQQ12WTO26UOQ95/falls.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro Cascatinha Taunay, one of the park’s main attractions, now and in the early 1800’s. (Engraving: Johann Moritz Rugendas, Cascatinha da Tijuca, 1822.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594164133638-YRA7Q78NJILHDR85UFTQ/trail.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro Forest paths (not the same path, but in the same general area)—now, and in the late 1800’s soon after replanting. (Left photograph: Marc Ferrez, Pico do Papagaio, c. 1880?.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594157500767-0PNVN6DMGMKWBV9DTVNJ/00020005cr.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro Public amenities are well-integrated into Tijuca’s dramatic landscape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594157384421-LC1FUY5RSHFMAG3X8HHW/00020010.JPG blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro One of the park’s small ornamental gardens (this one built around part of the original hydrological infrastructure). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594155528490-248VXJIKB5MAQTI8G44J/image-asset.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro View of Cristo Redentor in the distance from another ornamental area of the park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594156368342-7LQWBC27RZZ8VMVZLMIY/00020009.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594155427061-J3D7MLY9SIVMBQCQHIRZ/00020006.JPG blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro A favela climbing the slopes of the Tijuca Massif. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594155563274-92FZJCOIODMQ5TA4IK2U/00020021.JPG blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594156741253-TV9Q01CIQJJJ1BDN0ZHS/image-asset.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro Religious offering, technically prohibited but unofficially tolerated in deference to Tijuca’s multi-faceted cultural significance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594155648752-8AQOJ9DEYIJ4FTOKJVHI/image-asset.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro Massages right along the main park road. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594156328435-E29VKE5VIIT2JBGMCRHU/image-asset.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro Looking up at Pico da Tijuca from the city streets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594157552545-ILO010X9PZ39QC1H7W32/00020028.jpg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro Visitors at the Cristo Redentor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1594156302000-B7420LH0EP1YYYM04XI9/image-asset.jpeg blog - Urban Wilds | Rio de Janeiro https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/6/16/urban-volcanoes-dreamworlds monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/9ba63196-3e39-4e54-9ae8-72ba27edd1ab/Community+Crater+Cluster-r.jpg blog - Urban Volcanoes | Dreamworlds Community Crater Cluster, watercolor on paper and oil pen on plexiglass, 15”x20.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1592334848657-4OI8YVCVR2XG9OXF7K5W/Bicycle+path+through+a+volcanic+crater+on+the+island+of+Heimaey+in+Vestmannaeyjar%2C+Iceland. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Dreamworlds Entering the “half volcano” on Vestmannaeyjar. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634585780209-8BCV0PVPYRDZLE9BYDD8/Sears_Community+Crater+Cluster+II_36x45unframed.jpg blog - Urban Volcanoes | Dreamworlds Community Crater Cluster II, watercolor on paper, 36”x45.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1592334892470-WUBG4BI0IWYZ6QJ9VCOP/Watercolor+painting+with+contour+lines+on+laser-etched+plexiglass+overlay%2C+depicting+surreal+dream-inspired+landscape+of+volcanoes+and+craters+in+volcanic+urban+park. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Dreamworlds Village Volcano, watercolor on paper and oil pen on plexiglass, 15”x20.” https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/5/12/urban-volcanoes-vestmannaeyjar monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1589416017829-5HQ3UPK3S07YY27HABI2/Village+and+the+volcanic+cones+of+Eldfell+and+Helgafell+on+the+island+of+Heimaey+in+Vestmannaeyjar+in+Iceland. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Vestmannaeyjar Eldfell (left) and Helgafell in the background, looming over the village. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1589416235149-03AE4V3V9ABEI4TA2C2Q/Craggy+volcanic+topography+of+the+island+of+Heimaey+in+Vestmannaeyjar%2C+seen+from+the+Ring+Road+in+Iceland. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Vestmannaeyjar Jagged profile of Heimaey in the distance, seen from the Ring Road near the southern coast of the mainland. (The island has a lot of dramatic topography aside from the volcanoes.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1589416430595-FA053SY7ABC38REIVZ25/The+volcanic+cone+of+Eldfell%2C+seen+from+Helgafell%2C+on+the+island+of+Heimaey+in+Vestmannaeyjar+in+Iceland. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Vestmannaeyjar Eldfell seen from the summit of Helgafell. Located on the outskirts of a village rather than a major city, these volcanoes are less strictly “urban” than those in Auckland, but they don’t feel at all remote. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1589416474365-5TTPZ1WTR1BDP940XQKF/IMG_3625.jpg blog - Urban Volcanoes | Vestmannaeyjar I rarely buy souvenirs anymore, but I was tempted by these volcano hats…. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634585664683-YUU3A6I96M4W3WHBSGKJ/Sears_Home+Island_24x36.jpg blog - Urban Volcanoes | Vestmannaeyjar Home Island, watercolor on aquabord, 24”x36,” inspired by Eldfell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634585704131-KWIAFGMBOU1R6PW3CXIL/Sacred+Hill.jpg blog - Urban Volcanoes | Vestmannaeyjar Sacred Hill, watercolor on aquabord, 30”x22,” inspired by Helgafell. The triangle of brown in the lower left is the summit of Eldfell. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/4/28/urban-volcanoes-auckland-volcanic-field monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1588189396622-BSKTMBLYHUO3KCC40OKY/map.jpg blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field Auckland, New Zealand. Many of the scattered green patches are remnants of volcanic cones, now mostly public parks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1588191289469-0J3L37RVZYK4ZGWQWYXQ/P%C5%8Dhutukawa+forest+on+the+volcanic+island+of+Rangitoto+in+Hauraki+Gulf+near+Auckland%2C+New+Zealand. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field Looking toward the summit of Rangitoto from the lower slopes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1588191150467-FRQFDSVVE53067INE21D/View+of+Auckland%2C+New+Zealand%2C+from+the+summit+of+the+volcanic+island+of+Rangitoto+in+Hauraki+Gulf. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field View toward downtown Auckland from the crater rim. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1588190754749-7OTDAEVSY9HHK241GDY5/View+of+the+volcanic+island+of+Rangitoto+in+Hauraki+Gulf+from+Devonport+in+Auckland%2C+New+Zealand. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field Rangitoto seen from the northern suburbs of Auckland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1588191731605-RRVEI6OVOOASE55QMNT0/signs.jpg blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field Some tourist information on Rangitoto hikes and natural history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573763932-F495DY3DS8MCKA7GYS0Z/Harbour+Island.jpg blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field Harbour Island, watercolor on paper, 18”x18,” inspired by Rangitoto. To accentuate the urban-wild contrast I’ve relocated the island closer to the center of the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1588191857618-7X74R3NGMCZABOS7LE7M/Grassy+volcanic+crater+of+Mt.+Wellington%2C+an+urban+park+in+Auckland%2C+New+Zealand%2C+on+a+foggy%2C+rainy+day. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field View across the crater of Mt. Wellington on an icky day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1588191977868-PNUAJ4D1INGS63ZIQUHC/Picnic+tables+by+the+grassy+volcanic+crater+of+Mt.+Wellington%2C+an+urban+park+in+Auckland%2C+New+Zealand%2C+on+a+foggy%2C+rainy+day blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field View across Mt. Wellington from the opposite side (the crater is in front of the hills in the background, obscured from this perspective). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1588189341729-INNJ3DEAR4I8H1AF7H69/Domain%2C+a+fractured+watercolor+painting+inspired+by+Mt.+Wellington%2C+a+volcanic+crater+in+an+urban+park+in+Auckland%2C+New+Zealand. blog - Urban Volcanoes | Auckland Volcanic Field Domain, watercolor on paper, 20”x20,” inspired by Mt. Wellington. The tree ferns are idealizations, reflecting some of what I imagine to be the original vegetation. The title comes from the fact that public parks in Auckland are known as “domains” (maybe a reference to how the land was set aside), a term that also brought to mind the quiet but still dominant presence of the volcano. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/4/14/islands-the-jewel-series monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586974787678-MEQN0LZXYL9YWY0L1S4Q/Mangroves%2C+red+earth+and+tidal+flats+near+Broome%2C+northwest+Australia blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Mangroves and tidal flats south of Broome, Western Australia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586974742588-9J5C4SAYTLS8H76KOSK7/Red+earth+against+blue+sea%2C+coast+of+northwest+Australia+near+Broome blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Coastal hues north of Broome. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586977786450-DSVY1Z6ZSIQJ7QRH81YY/Artist+selfie+with+a+baobab+tree+%28Adansonia+gregorii%29+in+Keep+River+National+Park+in+the+Kimberley+region+of+Western+Australia. blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Baobab (Adansonia gregorii) in Keep River National Park, Northern Territory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573656081-4D19TCX5BM2U0N7OMZ9R/Pearl+Isle.jpg blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Pearl Isle, watercolor on paper, 10”x10.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586975223312-QA6XCPV31H5B7GJ1QJ2N/Sandstone+landforms+in+the+Bungle+Bungles%2C+or+Purnululu+National+Park%2C+in+the+Kimberley+region+of+Australia blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Sandstone “beehive” formations in the Bungle Bungles (Purnululu National Park), Western Australia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586980538064-4JYKFM2FEWW802589A7K/Baobab+%28Adansonia+gregorii%29+near+Kununurria%2C+Western+Australia blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Another baobab near Kununurra, Western Australia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586975308992-NRBO0WZJLJD1V6P7SUI4/Livistona+victoriae+palms+and+eroded+sandstone+landforms+in+Keep+River+National+Park+in+the+Kimberley+region+of+Australia blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Livistona victoriae palms in Keep River National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573681128-CFP10F3V4LHAP8AQRZ9U/Sears_Amber+Isle_8x8unframed.jpg blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Amber Isle, watercolor on paper, 10”x10.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586979189672-RPV1U8KQHMDTMDL4ZJTR/Lush+cloud+forest+in+Los+Cedros+Reserve%2C+northern+Ecuador blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Primary (virgin) cloud forest in Los Cedros Reserve, northwest Ecuador. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586975729892-OXTQMQPC0J5NDRROK6D4/Ceiba+trichastandra+in+the+dry+forest+along+the+coast+of+Ecuador blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Flowering “ceibo” (Ceiba trichastandra) in dry forest along the central Ecuadorean coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1586975632852-ZKIJ1FTZLJ2DEE39EW9Y/Ceiba+trichastandra+in+the+dry+forest+near+the+coast+of+Ecuador blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Ceiba trichastandra—not quite as “emerald”-like as painted, but still strikingly green. Except for the buttress roots it looks a lot like a green baobab, and is in fact in the same family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573709440-TGDLK59RF4R4W5OLLFLU/Emerald+Isle.jpg blog - Islands | The Jewel Series Emerald Isle, watercolor on paper, 10”x10.” https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/3/30/shark-fin-island monthly 0.5 2021-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1585620649769-7KTZXW3BTU0NQR34H4A5/Shark+Fin+Island.jpg blog - Shark Fin Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1585764824226-C694VA5AUNKUXPBL887R/models.jpg blog - Shark Fin Island A few shots of a 3D model that I ended up not developing further for the competition, but it was useful as a starting point for the drawings below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1585621496373-ITAJRT3HRW60ZAHTF98G/Shark+Fin+Island%2C+an+imaginary+island+depicted+in+a+watercolor+painting. blog - Shark Fin Island Plan, Shark Fin Island, watercolor-on-paper original (22”x22”) with digital overlay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1585621515842-IJQYLYRRQ5MRXERB0ZAQ/2b.jpg blog - Shark Fin Island Cross-section (location marked in red on the Plan above), watercolor-on-paper original (13”x22”) with digital overlay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1585621537373-NHIB0IZT7YATM3RU9CQP/Shark+Fin+Island3a.jpg blog - Shark Fin Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1585621561816-6JORJ7FW2C5X5W3U3TJD/Shark+Fin+Island3.jpg blog - Shark Fin Island https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1585621584205-20UJV4ZSJOCOQR85GPW8/Watercolor+painting+of+cloud+forest+on+the+imaginary+Shark+Fin+Island blog - Shark Fin Island Watercolor-on-paper original (14”x22),” with view location shown in red on the key plan in the upper left. Note that the plants in the description are invented as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1585621603597-PS015GC1NBPHZC9W2OPE/Watercolor+painting+of+dry+forest+on+the+imaginary+Shark+Fin+Island. blog - Shark Fin Island Watercolor-on-paper original (14”x22)”. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/2/27/islands-imagined-tbljy monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1584385644247-WHL0QMCBXWRFU0CRE8QQ/Big+Green+Island+off+the+coast+of+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Big Green Island, off the southwest coast of Flinders, seen from the summit of Mt. Strzelecki. (I didn’t visit the island itself.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582856970621-62YMYOR6FNSWXANDFP03/IMG_0192.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica, on the hike up Mt. Strzelecki. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582857218885-HQX7NFYHDMYTB4DE6243/IMG_0082.JPG blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Grass tree, Xanthorrhea australis, along the southern coast of Flinders Island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573563688-1XFH1S6HPWVYW6LHQC3E/Islet.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Islet, watercolor on paper, 18”x24,” inspired by Big Green Island (its outline that is—everything else is invented) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582857294061-E4C2EDT42JPS7X1MQOAM/IMG_0605.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Pilosocereus cacti in Machalilla National Park along Ecuador’s central coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582857327179-DNVDEZDZ8I00Y3E5FA8W/IMG_0752.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Rainforest in Los Cedros Reserve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582857373075-FN299Z9C4Z6NNE0ESFNE/IMG_0822.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Upper reaches of the forest at the edge of the páramo, El Angel Reserve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582857411039-CFLJHU63YVAM67HPINU9/IMG_0992.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Frailejones (Espeletia pycnophylla) above Voladero Lagoon, El Angel Reserve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573584937-E9704D6KK3OEWXDVLT55/Ghost+Isle+R.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) Ghost Isle, watercolor on paper, 15”x17.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1584488537878-L790NJAIICPES4LZYJIS/Fog+Meadows%2C+watercolor+on+paper%2C+inspired+by+the+Lomas+de+Lachay+in+Peru.+at+the+Artist+Reception+for+an+exhibition+at+Hang+Art+Gallery+in+San+Francisco blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1584488605457-TTBQ5TWH0DOO8VNU521Z/Watercolor+paintings+inspired+by+Iceland+and+Peru+at+the+Artist+Reception+for+an+exhibition+at+Hang+Art+Gallery+in+San+Francisco blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1584488689422-7RRYCYCT1DEUYCVPC9PV/Watercolor+painting+inspired+by+the+Canary+Islands+at+the+Artist+Reception+for+an+exhibition+at+Hang+Art+Gallery+in+San+Francisco blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1584488997606-V1PGAB4UUH97ELEIMMQI/Watercolor+painting+inspired+by+Iceland+in+the+window+of+Hang+Art+Gallery+in+San+Francisco blog - Islands | Imagined (cont.) https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/2/27/islands-imagined-pb39k monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582856624235-3HDNFCSAQ3J428ZYGLAR/Aerial+view+of+sandstone+formations+in+the+Bungle+Bungles%2C+or+Purnululu+National+Park%2C+Western+Australia%2C+from+a+scenic+flight blog - Islands | Imagined Airplane view of the Bungle Bungles. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582856709648-3FLURCCR1JWQX8RULXN9/IMG_0052.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined Australia’s native baobab, Adansonia gregorii, near Kununurra, Western Australia. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582856666733-Q0N3L3UAIVMN8FE6KX89/IMG_0020.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined Livistona victoriae in El Questro Gorge near Kununurra. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573476992-WJUFXF278ZY7X6UHSO8O/Sears_Tiger+Island_16x16unframed.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined Tiger Island, watercolor on paper, 16”x16.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582857185568-E0PZZGKC4EW4N1XH47XB/IMG_0087%25252B-%25252BEdited.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined Mangrove in mudflats south of Broome, Western Australia. The red in the foreground is typical of the coastal regions’s soil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1582856840642-SYX12SCPH4IOB1RLDJPW/IMG_4925.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined Pandanus, a genus only distantly related to palms, in Keep River National Park near Kununurra. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573500118-RV9OOUA3JV76XT7NXAK1/Pearl+Islands.jpg blog - Islands | Imagined Pearl Islands, watercolor on paper, 15”x20.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1583184871952-6MYO9NOFOFXHPQDVSLWO/Art+Gallery+Exhibition+invitation blog - Islands | Imagined https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/1/29/islands-floreana-galpagos monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580966047476-FC89GCC1WH7OG0T8H8TX/plan_labeled.jpg blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos Floreana Island, with the areas that I visited on this last trip in the arid and highland zones, connected by road and trail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580883636599-B0T8NG4XB8CWWT7M415J/View+of+the+town+of+Puerto+Velazco+Ibarra+on+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos View of the “town” of Puerto Velazco Ibarra and in the distance Cerro Pajas, the island’s highest point at 640m. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580878568494-SFEG28VZGDVC9A5JY1LP/Giant+Opuntia+cacti+and+sea+lions+in+the+desert+of+Punta+Loberia+on+Punta+Loberia+on+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos Giant Opuntia cacti at the tip of Punta Loberia, less than an hour’s walk south of the town (corresponding to #1 in the worldview below). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580878699500-GCGHZG59N3KYCYRL6QHM/Columnar+Jasminocereus+cacti+in+the+desert+of+Punta+Loberia+on+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos Columnar Jasminocereus cacti on Punta Loberia, looking back toward the main part of the island (Cerro Pajas is in the center). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580883714064-RMFR7758B04607NPRYNS/Cacti+in+the+arid+landscape+of+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos Arid zone vegetation, including ghostly, usually leafless palo santo trees. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580879576605-J33VC0XQ4FXZ8B6O95XE/Trail+to+Cerro+Alieri+through+the+dry+forest+of+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos Beginning the walk up to Cerro Alieri from the main road. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580879395342-QRL9TZ7Y0YJZRA2EUE1A/View+of+Cerro+Pajas+from+Cerro+Alieri+and+the+dry+forest+of+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos Near the summit of the hill, looking back toward Cerro Pajas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580879679250-WUNH62MS5YYOQZTWCALK/Lush+bromeliads+on+Cerro+Alieri+on+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos The trail runs a few minutes downill past the summit of Cerro Alieri through bromeliad-filled forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580879736390-7SH7OHNJVHVTYVWXKX4T/Lush+bromeliads+on+Cerro+Alieri+on+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos View from the end of the trail on the far side of the summit (corresponding to #10 below). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573413439-6CZE01BNPLT8E19V81PJ/Sears_Floreana_24x21unframed.jpg blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos Floreana, watercolor on paper, 25”x21”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580881042517-D7DJCAO4M6NAMYN18IBS/painting_labeled.jpg blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos The sequence of experiences along the “journey” between Punta Loberia and Cerro Alieri that inspired Floreana. The smaller arrows represent views off the main route of travel, near the summit. (#8 represents the summit itself, with views across the eroded crater toward Cerro Pajas, the island’s highest point.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580881971540-4P9NWI77VTBRIGPGVE26/Granite+labyrinth+and+bromeliads+near+Asilo+de+la+Paz+in+the+highlands+of+Floreana+Island+in+the+Galapagos. blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos The granite labyrinth at Asilo de la Paz. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1580881871777-ZPXHNQYZHPJX9WFUY7QX/IMG_7347.jpg blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos View of Cerro Pajas from Asilo de la Paz, across highland vegetation (a mix of natives and non-natives). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573440675-6U5DEP7E8O2PV7E8U3ZV/The+Last+Island.jpg blog - Islands | Floreana, Galápagos The Last Island, watercolor on aquabord, 20”x16”. (The title came from my aim to emphasize the conservation angle of the work for the 2019 SF Open Studios Exhibition.) https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2020/1/16/islands-santa-cruz-galpagos monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1579762409147-ICS39K2I8SS01T7NODG4/plan.jpg blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos Santa Cruz Island, showing the conversion of nearly the entire highland area to agriculture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1579582458215-KRUH5VWI0PSIQD3WTA0S/Beach%2C+mangrove+and+opuntia+cactus+forest+at+Tortuga+Bay+on+Santa+Cruz+Island%2C+Galapagos blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos Mangroves and (in the distance on the right) Opuntia cactus forest at Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz Island. (These photos are all from a trip in 2018, my second visit to the islands.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1579582507556-Z9GBYB8W15NCGOSOWC8P/Opuntia+cactus+forest+along+the+coast+at+Tortuga+Bay%2C+Santa+Cruz+Island%2C+Galapagos blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos The arid zone of Santa Cruz near Tortuga Bay, with giant Opuntia cactus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1579582941785-ANZ7YBIPU6SJ9WULK5ED/Cloud+forest+of+Scalesia+pedunculata+in+the+wet+highlands+of+Santa+Cruz+Island%2C+Galapagos blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos The highland Scalesia zone, with forest of Scalesia pedunculata (in the daisy family). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1579675290051-LG0I831WFSPQJ3KKUN79/Fern-sedge+zone+below+Media+Luna+in+the+wet+highlands+of+Santa+Cruz+Island%2C+Galapagos blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos Lower edge of the fern-sedge zone near the top of the island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1579675806534-HJDGKI2HQGP6TN1EUAIJ/footprint4-scalesia-loss-4.jpg blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos Original (left) and current distribution of Scalesia forest, shown in red, on Santa Cruz. (From Mauchamp and Atkinson, “Rapid, recent and irreversible habitat loss: Scalesia forest on the Galapagos Islands,” Galapagos Report 2019-2010.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1579676456239-NLGEPYAHY38Q2U7BZWHB/Fern-sedge+zone+taken+over+by+invasive+Chinchona+trees+in+the+wet+highlands+of+Santa+Cruz+Island%2C+Galapagos blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos Stems of dead Cinchona trees in the fern-sedge zone, killed manually through chemical control (apparently effective, but costly). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573343143-YUU6DDDAZ648YWCKVWBO/Ascent.jpg blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos Ascent (watercolor on paper, 18”x18”), essentially an idealization of the now heavily-altered southern half of Santa Cruz. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573367636-7K2WBUNSEUD8K2W5IUS1/Up.jpg blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos Up (watercolor on paper, 20x23”), an idealized “overview” of the entire island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1579584701758-R45VJFPZKFN0AWKF1L6D/Photographic+transect+along+a+dry-wet+gradient+on+Santa+Cruz+Island%2C+Galapagos blog - Islands | Santa Cruz, Galápagos A photographic transect across the generally intact northern half of Santa Cruz, from the arid zone into the Scalesia zone (traveling from bottom to top, north to south, sea level to highlands). https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/10/24/island-worldviews-lagomera monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569773474571-2GUN4A7EFKNLWMOYAU92/maps.jpg blog - Islands | La Gomera https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569775673976-H3UCDCGK0NRVS58ZXIG0/la+gomera_ID.jpg blog - Islands | La Gomera La Gomera, with points of interest along the north-south journey depicted in Divide. The dashed line roughly traces the wet-dry divide itself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573304509-JBJJ87IM7S2XIDG8C1D6/Divide.jpg blog - Islands | La Gomera Divide, watercolor on paper, 20”x20”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569775948153-9HNZZRAX42CGEH7N22C8/la+gomera_ID2.jpg blog - Islands | La Gomera https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569776038656-GCPOQSEYUOHUNGYK4BUO/Forest+with+date+palms+at+the+lower+reaches+of+the+misty+cloud+forest+of+Parque+Nacional+Garajonay+on+La+Gomera%2C+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | La Gomera Lower reaches of the laurisilva with scattered Phoenix canariensis. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569776545277-2EKF1DNUWGIWUYETPXUG/Lush+laurisilva+%28temperate+cloud+forest%29+with+moss+and+ferns+on+La+Gomera+in+the+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | La Gomera Laurisilva in a stream valley, Garajonay National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569776687616-3D3URFGT9TUS9PSLVU18/IMG_0231.JPG blog - Islands | La Gomera Scrubby transitional forest in the vicinity of Alto de Garajonay. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1571805515396-F7NRDV3H6VDQV7DLU84J/Scrub+forest+on+La+Gomera%2C+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | La Gomera Transitional forest just below the divide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569776841146-J67KENMQM2GBYGQ0U3FX/IMG_0552-r.jpg blog - Islands | La Gomera Desert coastline near Playa Santiago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569777243773-N1S7DAWS92MR5IL6C4OR/Alto+de+Garajonay%2C+the+highest+point+on+the+island+of+La+Gomera%2C+Canary+Islands%2C+with+remnants+of+cloud+forest+devastated+by+a+forest+fire blog - Islands | La Gomera Forest burnt in the 2012 fire, with Alto de Garajonay in the background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1571806241525-IE255R5LWI8TXK12SRR4/POSTCARD.jpg blog - Islands | La Gomera https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/10/3/island-tenerife monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569909112369-NSTEWIIZ9M2WTPU2FSPG/View+of+the+island+of+Tenerife+in+the+Canary+Islands%2C+from+the+summit+of+the+volcanic+Pico+del+Teide blog - Islands | Tenerife View northeast across Tenerife, Canary Islands, from Pico del Teide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1570080130074-9VEEFTU0WXKVJSZU1F5G/macaronesia-ID2.jpg blog - Islands | Tenerife https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569908645095-DDI6FMV04HWCCSU4EGG6/Canary+Island+date+palms+on+the+La+Gomera+in+a+terraced+agricultural+valley blog - Islands | Tenerife A number of horticultural staples (especially in California) are Canary Island endemics or natives. Here is the endemic Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island date palm) on the island of La Gomera. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569908610765-D874QTTBVJ9F2H7JK8IT/Grove+of+Canary+Island+date+palms+on+La+Gomera+with+mist+and+cliffs+beyond blog - Islands | Tenerife Wild grove of date palms, La Gomera. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569777882051-H2FNDZRJRLT8PHN6EZWU/IMG_0199.jpg blog - Islands | Tenerife Most species of aeonium are endemic to the Canaries, especially rocky areas at wetter elevations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569908774710-CTCC9LH0O55HY2WQQO5Z/Dragon+tree+in+the+town+of+Icod+de+los+Vinos+on+the+island+of+Tenerife%2C+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | Tenerife A famous dragon tree (Dracaena draco) specimen on Tenerife. Native to the Canaries and Morocco, most exist today only in settled areas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1570080179482-FK07L4D9K1EMKJJPO1BE/tenerife_ID2.jpg blog - Islands | Tenerife https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569774646791-HKPS5I66SN19K8YSYL8C/Euphorbia+plants+in+the+volcanic+desert+landscape+of+the+Malpais+de+Guimar+on+Tenerife%2C+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | Tenerife Euphorbia canariensis in the Malpaís de Guïmar, a lava field on the dry south coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569774591036-5WTE7SLRRUX7QQGYYUPY/Lush+laurisilva+ecosystem+%28temperate+cloud+forest%29+on+the+Anaga+Peninsula+of+Tenerife+in+the+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | Tenerife Laurisilva on the northeastern peninsula. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569909236332-7XAPCDBFMV7XBZCIGY8O/Canary+Island+pines+and+lava+fields+on+the+slopes+of+Volcan+Teide+on+the+island+of+Tenerife+in+the+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | Tenerife Pinus canariensis and lava field, approaching the Caldera de las Cañadas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569909271348-IMIJUH9Z2EFN0MOOPCA1/Approaching+the+summit+of+volcanic+Pico+del+Teide+on+the+island+of+Tenerife+in+the+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | Tenerife Just below the summit of Pico del Teide, rising out of the Caldera. A gondola takes you most of the way up from the Caldera floor, but visitor access to the very top is limited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569775087855-WXO04RFESTS2I9Y90O3M/Panoramic+view+of+the+volcanic+caldera+of+Tenerife%2C+Canary+Islands%2C+from+the+summit+crater+of+Volcan+Teide blog - Islands | Tenerife View across the summit crater of Pico del Teide and the Caldera below (the far edge of the Caldera is the chain of mountains in front of the clouds). For scale, you can see a group of geologists working inside the crater, just left of center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1569775182564-2GYXB7ZLJLJQYRULQAAS/Airplane+sunset+view+of+snow-covered+Volcan+Teide+on+Tenerife%2C+Canary+Islands blog - Islands | Tenerife Pico del Teide from the plane at sunset. (My visit to the top came before the snow.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573248365-ZCUOBIWO7EAF9CO2H1MZ/Reveal.jpg blog - Islands | Tenerife Reveal (watercolor on paper, 30”x50”). https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/9/18/separatesmallsingular monthly 0.5 2022-08-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568608250780-1QNEQZRB7LYB5HUBNBIB/Rainforest+canopy+in+Tijuca+National+Park+in+Rio+de+Janeiro%2C+Brazil blog - Separate | Small | Singular Rainforest of Tijuca National Park, Rio de Janeiro. Protected and experienced as a “wilderness” area despite having been re-planted 150 years ago and today facing numerous pressures from the surrounding city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568605525614-XENANREKG0SE6RAINRMV/Alpine+grassland%2C+rainforest+and+agricultural+landscapes+on+the+slopes+of+the+volcano+Mount+Taranaki%2C+New+Zealand blog - Separate | Small | Singular Edges on the slopes of Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand—nature-meets-agriculture and nature-meets-nature. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573193260-Y7NO3A5IGT4RWHS8PIP3/Harbour+Island.jpg blog - Separate | Small | Singular Harbour Island (watercolor on paper, 18”x18”). Inspired by Rangitoto Island, Auckland, New Zealand—a city-nature edge overlaying a natural land-water edge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568606528151-IUS8H3D90JGLH5PMAVW9/Lava+and+cinder+cones+in+the+alpine+volcanic+landscape+of+Haleakala+Crater%2C+Maui%2C+Hawaii blog - Separate | Small | Singular Harsh but delicate volcanic alpine landscape of Haleakala Crater, Maui. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568606586096-0NRESE7A1KL50ACEGQX2/Lush+cloud+forest+relict+in+the+clouds+in+Haleakala+Crater+on+Maui%2C+Hawaii blog - Separate | Small | Singular Remnant patch of Maui’s little-remaining native cloud forest at the other side of Haleakala Crater. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568606862920-HLP1M40FDWTHFIQHNIYO/View+across+the+coral+lagoon+to+Mount+Gower+and+Mount+Lidgbird%2C+Lord+Howe+Island%2C+Australia blog - Separate | Small | Singular Low, scrubby lowlands of Lord Howe Island, Australia, with Mt. Gower (far right) in the distance across the lagoon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568606896610-7H0COBG92IW68SSINJSU/Lush+must+forest+with+ferns+at+the+summit+of+Mount+Gower+on+Lord+Howe+Island%2C+Australia blog - Separate | Small | Singular Mist forest at the top of Mt. Gower, an ecosystem unique to Lord Howe. Well-protected and mostly intact, but it won’t survive a drying climate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568608662906-L8D7HYB3FOPA0VGL38FY/Arid+desert+landscape+with+cacti+with+lava+rock+on+San+Cristobal+Island+in+the+Galapagos+Islands%2C+Ecuador blog - Separate | Small | Singular Semiarid lowlands of San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568607006739-LTG0ICIGQQIZQZ6T3ONS/Trail+through+the+lush+fern-sedge+zone+in+the+highlands+of+San+Cristobal+Island%2C+Galapagos blog - Separate | Small | Singular Saturated treeless highlands of San Cristóbal. The habitat type is rare to begin with, and the few bits that have escaped cultivation are highly degraded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568608090824-AWIE0VBTT9VAZYHYCNX6/Dry%2C+arid+landscape+with+euphorbia+on+the+leeward+side+of+La+Gomera+in+the+Canary+Islands blog - Separate | Small | Singular Semiarid coastline of La Gomera, Canary Islands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1568606395340-DQAI5YBE9GMA2UMTY1CS/Lush+laurisilva+%28temperate+cloud+forest%29+with+ferns+and+moss+on+La+Gomera+in+the+Canary+Islands blog - Separate | Small | Singular Rare and endangered laurisilva (temperate cloud forest) in the La Gomera highlands. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/8/21/realitiesofnaturejustanidea monthly 0.5 2021-12-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1567623827393-5A1Q6GXZU18GWOA9GUKV/Lush+Scalesia+cloud+forest+in+the+highlands+of+the+island+of+Santa+Cruz+in+the+Galapagos blog - Realities of Nature | "Just" an Idea? Cloud forest of Scalesia pedunculata in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos. Only miniscule bits of this habitat remain. If any place on earth deserves to be preserved as a “living museum,” the Galápagos would be it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1567624395883-CPKI2706RJTIYSG6H0SL/Giant+Groundsell%2C+Senecio+kilimanjari%2C+in+the+mist+on+the+mountain+slopes+of+Kilimanjaro+in+Tanzania blog - Realities of Nature | "Just" an Idea? Giant groundsels (Senecio kilimanjari) on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Rare montane species like this one will be severely threatened by climate change—to what degree is it worth trying to soften the impacts, if it’s possible at all? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1567623956101-RGGJ8B4JUJ08T7HKW0AT/Lava+and+cinder+cone%2C+among+the+many+volcanoes+in+Timanfaya+National+Park+on+the+volcanic+island+of+Lanzarote+in+the+Canary+Islands blog - Realities of Nature | "Just" an Idea? Timanfaya National Park on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. This entire volcanic landscape essentially came into being with eruptions in the early 1700s, and the activity continues to this day. We generally aren’t under the illusion that places we consider “wild” or “untouched” didn’t and won’t always exist as we know them now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1567625308437-F93FT10345O5GN49VYW6/Tree+fern+and+other+tropical+foliage+in+a+light+gap+in+lush+cloud+forest%2C+Los+Cedros+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Realities of Nature | "Just" an Idea? A light gap, probably caused by a tree fall, in the cloud forest of Reserva Los Cedros in Ecuador. I doubt such changeabillity would threaten most people’s image of a rainforest, if it isn’t already part of that image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1567624124935-LN5N64AKU4NMNE3PHPSS/Red+and+orange+hues+of+Uluru%2C+or+Ayers+Rock%2C+in+the+Northern+Territory%2C+Australia%2Cduring+sunset blog - Realities of Nature | "Just" an Idea? Uluru in central Australia is sacred to the region’s Aboriginal inhabitants, and any landscape architect would take an interest in that significance (let alone respect it). Why not the same for the Western veneration of “pristine” nature? Because it’s more recent or fickle? The two cultural meanings may not carry equal weight, but the latter shouldn’t be just brushed aside as superficial. (Drawing on Mick Abbott, “Practices of the Wild: A Rewilding of Landscape Architecture,” in LA+ ) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1567624748148-GWBGYQVNFN8NDQIUKGL2/Hiking+trail+through+lush+rainforest+in+Tijuca+National+Park%2C+Rio+de+Janeiro%2C+Brazil blog - Realities of Nature | "Just" an Idea? Replanted rainforest in Tijuca National Park, Rio de Janeiro. Despite it’s human history, the park feels as natural as any—and that’s what should matter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1567623894124-LO1DUGL4H5PZGLNPEMTP/Giant+Opuntia+%28prickly+pear%29+cacti+and+walking+trail+at+Tortuga+Bay+on+the+island+of+Santa+Cruz+in+the+Galapagos blog - Realities of Nature | "Just" an Idea? Another scene from the Galápagos—forest of Opuntia echios var. gigantea at Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz Island. “Museum-quality”? https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/8/3/realitiesofnaturecontinuumsofpristine monthly 0.5 2021-12-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1566447061426-3F18416Z7ADZ9J7O7LIS/Mountains+and+rainforest+in+Tijuca+National+Park%2C+Rio+de+Janeiro%2C+Brazil blog - Realities of Nature | Continuums of Pristine Parque Nacional da Tijuca with Rio de Janeiro in the distance—the world’s largest replanted tropical rainforest (and largest urban park). I’ll have a lot to say about this park in future posts, as in many ways it gets to the heart of what “natural” and “wild” mean to us today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1566440739331-KEQSF5COQQJ2ZFS5SG93/Sand+dunes+and+vegetation+in+Mo%27omomi+Preserve+on+the+coast+of+Molokai%2C+Hawaii%2C+run+by+the+Nature+Conservancy blog - Realities of Nature | Continuums of Pristine Mo’omomi Preserve (foreground) on Molokai. It’s relatively intact, but with a few exceptions the rest of island’s native vegetation has been replaced by exotics. The Reserve boundary is marked by the fence in the upper right corner; is this place “pristine”? Maybe it depends on which direction you’re looking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1566440914695-26MDWJFWIC0X788WVQY4/Tree+with+buttress+roots+in+primary+rainforest+on+the+Caribbean+island+of+Dominica blog - Realities of Nature | Continuums of Pristine Me in primary (never cut) rainforest on the island of Dominica. Hurricane Maria probably did significant damage here a few years later; is the likelihood that it was made worse by climate change high enough that “pristine for most practical purposes” no longer applies? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1566445720888-SN81SWL8MTV0VGKS6UX5/IMG_0592.JPG blog - Realities of Nature | Continuums of Pristine Hot springs area in Lassen National Park. I’d guess that for most visitors, the boardwalk doesn’t destroy the image of nature operating on its own terms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1566445836361-VHUF3R9Z5V5X425UHPV5/IMG_0105.jpg blog - Realities of Nature | Continuums of Pristine Temperate rainforest along the Milford Track in New Zealand. Introduced mammals have had significant ecological effects here and throughout the country, but the untrained eye wouldn’t know it. How meaningful is that knowledge to the experience of the landscape? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1566445921380-NOZQYL1EXHHNS0RO9458/IMG_0103.jpg blog - Realities of Nature | Continuums of Pristine The “fern-sedge” zone atop Santa Cruz Island in the Gálapagos—too wet for native trees to have evolved, but not for invasive quinine trees (standing dead in the middle ground, killed by chemical control) that are transforming this landscape into forest. Preventing or reversing such impacts is difficult and expensive, and climate change will make it all but impossible. But, scientific losses aside, how much of a psychological blow would it be if these islands ceased to be special? https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/8/2/realitiesofnaturefirstthoughts monthly 0.5 2021-12-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1565199874435-8UKIIMR1G8JGGX51GZ5X/Secondary+rainforest+on+the+island+of+Dominica+in+the+Caribbean blog - Realities of Nature | First Thoughts Rainforest on the island of Dominica—secondary (previously cut), but most wouldn’t know it without first visiting a primary forest. In fact the secondary forest, with a lusher understory, looks more quintessentially “jungle-like.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573128150-GE7KLPUXGFV2J337IFS8/Sears_Great+Walk_25x50unframed.jpg blog - Realities of Nature | First Thoughts New Zealand’s Kahurangi National Park (depicted here in Great Walk) has experienced relatively minimal human impacts over the centuries, notably having avoid a proposed scenic road in the 1970’s. But is it less “natural” now just because we’re deliberately keeping it that way? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1565147566675-5VQPHIRFMBI7HSLFZF5M/Sahara+sand+dunes+at+Erg+Chebbi%2C+Morocco blog - Realities of Nature | First Thoughts Erg Chebbi in Morocco. The Sahara was once lush, likely desertified in part by overgrazing. How “wild” does that make it? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1565147265046-5RZFRDJ6JK9FJ6RNI1UB/Amazon+rainforest+in+Tambopata-Candomo+Reserve%2C+Peru blog - Realities of Nature | First Thoughts The Peruvian Amazon. It’s becoming increasingly clear that traditional land use has had widespread effects on forest structure and composition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1565200269015-1H4OQAAKQ5BCDV5NGFZM/Near+the+summit+of+Mt.+Kilimanjaro%2C+Tanzania blog - Realities of Nature | First Thoughts Approaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Places like this have stayed essentially free from human impacts until recently, but the glaciers are fast disappearing. How long can the wilderness image survive this (not to mention the hordes of climbers)? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1565200348223-0XZ6PXVCV7Y8HEY8K2YU/Bluff+Knoll%2C+Stirling+Range+National+Park+in+Western+Australia blog - Realities of Nature | First Thoughts Bluff Knoll in Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia. It was established to protect one of the last remnants of a global biodiversity hotspot, but given its long history of Aboriginal use plus the current spread of fungal die-back (mostly by shoes) and difficulty of replicating the natural fire regime, it’s far from pristine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1565148084604-I5ATC6KTG4EJT1JWIRP3/IMG_0731.jpg blog - Realities of Nature | First Thoughts Primary (never cut) cloud forest at Los Cedros, northwest Ecuador. It’s pretty close to “pristine,” but given the forest’s reliance on mist and rain, climate change will surely change that. Psychologically, when and how will that start to matter? https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/7/10/wrr55ktydwexpgkx7by620107dbckr monthly 0.5 2023-11-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1563339611266-AYPXJBBZUCSBBUJ0S94B/Frailejones+around+Voldero+Lagoon%2C+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Lagoon Frailejones overlooking the lagoon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1563854677272-TZ6SGKRHN9FRVSXBK661/Frailejones+at+Voldero+Lagoon+in+the+Paramo+of+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Lagoon https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1563340568778-6KBR1HZEGNEVDZ227S5Z/Frailejones+and+paramo+with+fields+in+the+distance%2C+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Lagoon Páramo meets civilization. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573066193-BR5A3MVZV8XNHKIFC4H0/Lagoon.jpg blog - Relict Nature | Lagoon Lagoon, watercolor on paper, 36”x36.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1563340829706-LVTAFO9YJFEL9JM3IQ8Y/Frailejones%2Band%2Bparamo%2Bwith%2Bblue%2Bsky%2Bin%2BEl%2BAngel%2BEcological%2BPreserve%252C%2BEcuador blog - Relict Nature | Lagoon https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1563339727249-DL4QN4WAK2TCV102BA3N/Frailejones+with+blue+sky+in+Al+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador. blog - Relict Nature | Lagoon https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1563341058164-S5VO95EGT9D83XMIKE2K/Frailejone+%28Espeletia%29%2C+member+of+the+sunflower+family%2C+in+flower%2C+El+Angel+Ecological+Preserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Lagoon Frailejone (in the sunflower family) in flower. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/7/1/relict-nature-pramo monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562778382810-6FNELGVZ0DFUBLAKB6MW/Frailejones+%28genus+Espeletia%29+in+paramo+in+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo Typical páramo landscape with frailejones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562778458972-WF5EZKN4JRS5VFT1EEL5/Espeletia+and+bromeliad%2C+El+Angel+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo Frailejone with bromeliad to the left. The bromeliads (genus Puya) have bright blue flowers, though I was too late in the season to catch them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562776438913-9M08FOHF7RHF3561KYGO/Satellite+view+of+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562776902380-57C5TEIRJ7IRRO0F6QZ6/Cloud+forest+in+a+stream+valley%2C+paramo+and+frailejones+in+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo View into the Reserve, overlooking the forested valley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562777154413-SU2Z3RGEYHY6DR9R14W4/Polylepis+cloud+forest+along+a+stream+in+El+Angel+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo Inside the Polylepis forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562777530197-MVSAF5TISEWHCDZTNG9U/Paramo+with+frailejones+in+El+Angel+Reserve%2C+Ecuador%2C+overlooking+agricultural+fields blog - Relict Nature | Páramo Páramo meets civilization. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562777915584-GN3JTTRRM5RZ02NM3BLO/Cloud+forest+in+a+stream+valley%2C+paramo+and+frailejones+in+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562783193866-6UIWJTTIVLNTF9KE0ZE7/Polylepis+cloud+forest+and+paramo%2C+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562777787382-VYRPJJ8ASNMN8E48HO0A/Frailejones+and+polylepis+cloud+forest+below+in+a+stream+valley%2C+El+Angel+Ecological+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634573022732-I7YH1J061504QX14UM1I/P%C3%A1ramo.jpg blog - Relict Nature | Páramo Páramo, watercolor on paper, 32”x40.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562779189938-BBBX0A5NFIGXFL3WB5WW/Cloud+forest+and+paramo+behind+a+Fountain+pool+at+Polylepis+Lodge%2C+El+Angel+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo The Lodge’s rustic “courtyard” with polylepis forest and páramo beyond. It has its own mini-museum of Pre-Polumbian artifacts; that’s one specimen in the center of the pool. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562779812878-VTRO7PWCB681Y3A8ADCX/Guest%2Broom%2Bwith%2Bjacuzzi%2Bat%2BPolylepis%2BLodge%252C%2BEl%2BAngel%2BReserve%252C%2BEcuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo I was the only guest at the time (contributing to the “weirdness” factor), which meant I got a free upgrade to one of the jacuzzi rooms. The brownish stream-fed water took some getting used to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1562779650112-LOVP74IZGLD8KFGJTDH9/Restaurant+with+canal+at+Polylepis+Lodge%2C+El+Angel+Reserve%2C+Ecuador blog - Relict Nature | Páramo The restaurant’s built over a canal that channels a natural stream, hence the partial glass floor. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/6/25/interface monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1561518642386-PAZND007YURUWDINEQVL/view+of+fields+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+from+Strzelecki+Peak blog - Relict Nature | Hidden Valley Looking north across cultivated land on Flinders Island from Strzelecki Peak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634572985028-RIUAKEVMAWPS7ZH8RDOT/Hidden+Valley.jpg blog - Relict Nature | Hidden Valley Hidden Valley, watercolor on paper, 24”x18.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1561571020517-69Q79IQFUMFMFIWJY9S9/aerial.jpg blog - Relict Nature | Hidden Valley The town of Kununurra with the western half of Hidden Valley National Park (outlined in dark green), and the accessible portion around the actual “hidden valley” (in lighter green) that inspired the worldview. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1561567928756-HLSBU4B59YCKFOI00K4Q/Illuminated+baobab+tree+at+night+outside+a+restaurant+in+Kununurra%2C+Western+Australia blog - Relict Nature | Hidden Valley Night-lit baobab outside a restaurant in Kununurra. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1561567510533-W3RLODL4PCBL8T5ED17C/Hidden+Valley+National+Park%2C+Kununurra%2C+Western+Australia blog - Relict Nature | Hidden Valley Overlooking the “hidden valley.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1561520126652-BELHNVLXWMVSB1Z29LGR/View+of+Mirima+National+Park+from+Kununurra%2C+Western+Australia blog - Relict Nature | Hidden Valley View of the park from the eastern edge of town, with young baobabs (the white sticks) on the slopes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1561569115209-EHZA2VX24RES72N1PBTX/IMG_5017.jpg blog - Relict Nature | Hidden Valley https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1561569199212-T9DU2XJ1NPISIYJPYOL8/Valley+inside+Hidden+Valley+National+Park%2C+Kununurra%2C+Western+Australia blog - Relict Nature | Hidden Valley Inside the “hidden valley.” https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/5/23/great-walk-worldview monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634745992117-SNPK2CAUNPXDH1MUXWRS/Sears_Great+Walk_25x50unframed.jpg blog - Great Walk | Worldview Great Walk, watercolor on paper, 25”x50”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634746276942-468783QAF44O76QTAHFM/trail.jpg blog - Great Walk | Worldview Great Walk with a very rough overlay of the walking route. The numbers on the perspective views correspond to their locations on the satellite view below and the images representative of each experience. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560309830362-1867MV8C8BKGGD9UC43H/image-asset.jpeg blog - Great Walk | Worldview Northeast corner of the South Island of New Zealand with the “painted” portion of the Heaphy Track in red. (The remainder of the trail, mostly the descent on Day 4, is in black.) The numbers correspond to the scenes depicted in Great Walk above and in the images below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560281824182-M056XTEFFE9DISQ7Y4V2/Nikau+palms+in+rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 1. A dramatic beginning—Nikau palms along the beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560281888311-BBZZCXX6KMLKFMBDQF7N/Rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 2. Dry Riverbed behind the beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560407289240-GEHDEZP234745S5Q3MEK/IMG_0085.jpg blog - Great Walk | Worldview 3. Rainforest behind the beach, with nikau palms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560282741986-A9AK9LF15QCZSVTFU6XM/Suspension+bridge+in+rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 4. Crossing a larger riverbed near the beginning of the ascent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560407683644-4PLCTZC9T6ADL4E7V0K5/View%2525252Bof%2525252Ba%2525252Briver%2525252Bvalley%2525252Bin%2525252Brainforest%2525252Balong%2525252Bthe%2525252BHeaphy%2525252BTrack%252525252C%2525252BNew%2525252BZealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 5. Climbing higher—view of a river valley below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560407134698-ZNRI3GOK92XCK97VPQCY/Montane%2525252Bforest%2525252Balong%2525252Bthe%2525252BHeaphy%2525252BTrack%252525252C%2525252BNew%2525252BZealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 6. Montane rainforest—no more palms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560283808367-8S66DEUXSYWP3W6PIJRQ/Montane%25252Bforest%25252Balong%25252Bthe%25252BHeaphy%25252BTrack%2525252C%25252BNew%25252BZealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 7. Climbing higher through “drier” forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560407316281-5EXK7BGCTUKO876Y6YRD/IMG_0092.jpg blog - Great Walk | Worldview 8. Crossing the Gouland Downs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560283936920-JIS9KTVNNK13M3419TMB/Stream+crossing+grassland+in+the+Gouland+Downs+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 9. The Gouland Downs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560284021564-HLMV8YDR1DMWPMP0PYQC/Grassland+in+the+Gouland+Downs+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 10. Nearing the edge of the grassland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560284179870-PTJXO40WKLBS9ISG3ZRU/Forest+at+the+edge+of+the+Gouland+Downs+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 11. Entering the forest again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560284336733-KB1Z4JAE27RG67RM3TLP/Forest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 12. An understated end to the story (but not the walk). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1560280252825-1Y730C3GR9DTIXBWSC2D/View+of+snowy+mountains+from+the+high+point+of+a+hike+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | Worldview 13. View from the highest point of the trek, beginning of Day 4. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/4/23/great-walk-the-heaphy-track-new-zealand monthly 0.5 2022-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634572899394-MES9QE5KZ5WQ44SPHIHJ/Sears_Great+Walk_25x50unframed.jpg blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Great Walk, watercolor on paper, 25”x50” (now with a proud new owner, my friend Richard Ervais!). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559146819800-UG9ZLM6L4OAFIRWAF1SZ/map.jpg blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand New Zealand with the Heaphy Track location in red. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559147176212-NOF6RBN0R9JOU8ALVIVX/heaphy-track-brochure-5-resize.jpg blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand The Heaphy Track (from the New Zealand Department of Conservation). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559147959798-KP1ODINUEQ4RQV2S327Q/Beach+on+a+cloudy+day+with+rainforest+and+nikau+palms+along+the+Heaphy+Coast%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Nikau palms along the coast, a few hours into the trek. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559148767908-A3QANF0RPA0190S86JNG/Rainforest+with+nikau+palms+behind+the+beach+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Rainforest with nikau palms behind the beach. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559148827089-CYAFV22WXWDSHS1EEGXO/Rainforest+with+nikau+palms+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Rainforest at a slightly higher elevation as the trail turns inland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559148926703-CVS9021OMVRIMXQZP0LO/Rata+tree+in+rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand A gigantic southern rata, Metrosideros umbellata, with my hiking poles (bottom center with white handles) for scale. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559149203045-RH6E5IEQM5PY5IABLUI8/Rata+tree+in+rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Looking up toward the canopy of the tree in the previous image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559157389281-926LES4687FDDGZUTRCO/Heath+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Giant heath (Dracophyllum sp.). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559150271095-AZ9NR6DX4T4IXDYZ6I67/Rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559157351836-EID74IJAFQF8QU86F34T/Rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559157313210-38WRN1NAGU0A8M662YCM/Rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559150686320-1C8MRJZBD6QVU7HNGQ3Y/Forest%25252Balong%25252Bthe%25252BHeaphy%25252BTrack%2525252C%25252BNew%25252BZealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand This and previous 3 images—the changing look of the forest as the trail climbs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559150834485-DR1F4453JYWS3D7TKOCK/Boggy+tussock+grassland+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand A boggy area of the Gouland Downs (the white on the trees in the background is a trick of the morning light, not snow). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559150785128-3GI6ISE3O7PQLV62R1ZH/Tussock+grassland+in+the+Gouland+Downs+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Looking across the Gouland Downs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559151054466-F5SGT7JAMSW90Z3QS19P/The+Enchanted+Forest%2C+beech+forest+in+a+karst+area+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand The Enchanted Forest—mossy, gnarled beech forest in a karst (limestone) area within the Downs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559151372632-7DWM82L3QPCVT9GREZNT/Forest%2Balong%2Bthe%2BHeaphy%2BTrack%252C%2BNew%2BZealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand “Non New Zealand-like” forest on the other side of the Downs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559151436904-TAEGOM9PY7UB0QAK8HZI/IMG_0160.jpg blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Sunrise vista from the highest point of the walk, with giant heaths in the foreground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559151504984-6AXM3XNRWBI2FUIZT8E0/Rainforest+along+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand Heading downhill and back into the rainforest on the last segment of the hike. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1559151549320-G0IPFGJR1MHM69VSW88U/Looking+back+toward+the+mountains+across+rainforest+at+the+end+of+the+Heaphy+Track%2C+New+Zealand blog - Great Walk | The Heaphy Track, New Zealand The end of the trail, looking back toward the mountains. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/4/28/sanctuary-residency-on-flinders-island-part-2 monthly 0.5 2022-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556598722032-2DMXVKP8QHTCIZF1O81S/Darren_ResidencyPresentation4.jpg blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556569355092-YZ1AJSUOA4G7Z1ZDCITB/Eucalyptus+and+tree+ferns+at+a+rainforest+gully+in+Strzelecki+National+Park%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Rainforest gully surrounded by Eucalyptus forest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556569474354-QC5CYECC55SRES76H6Z2/Dicksonia+and+Cyathea+tree+ferns+in+a+cool+rainforest+gully+in+Strzelecki+National+Park%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556589043285-09789TQFLYMO6ABK7IXO/View+of+forested+slopes+and+granite+cliffs+of+Strzelecki+Peak%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview View of Strzelecki Peak (above my head) from the lower slopes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556589229287-2BI2PPAT5LNWGADZWOEU/Boulders+and+montane+scrub+vegetation+with+coastal+views+on+the+hike+to+Strzelecki+Peak%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Mid-slope view down to Trousers Point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556588962204-5MUAC6UQ43TNQ2F6HDL9/Windblown+trees+in+montane+rainforest+near+Strzelecki+Peak%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Wind-sculpted rainforest approaching the Peak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556589010468-L2GNKGDGK0X3UW9YI5RL/IMG_0088.jpg blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview View of the Peak from below the last push. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556570163042-CXXCIXBGCEKXI26IJ6EE/View+north+across+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+from+near+Strzelecki+Peak%2C+with+mountain+vegetation blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Tree ferns near the upper limit of their range. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556570840446-3PAOM1EFDD11VEHANTWQ/Tree+fern+in+montane+rainforest+near+Strzelecki+Peak%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556570730662-DNUMQ5K8U0PBHHQWKB1H/Montane+rainforest+and+tree+ferns+near+Strzelecki+Peak%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Rainforested slope just below the Peak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556571024165-DEB8A3J7NKFY91NYMYH7/View+south+from+Strzelecki+Peak+with+scrub+vegetation+and+granite+outcroppings%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview View south from the summit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556572315635-B8S82DKBKTQKKINTS1XV/Beach%2C+turquoise+water+and+red+rocks+%28colored+by+algae%29+in+Strzelecki+National+Park+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview A few of the south coast’s many empty beaches. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556572451513-PZ8A9ZYEKI0D8O5TD4EE/Beach+and+coastal+forest+in+Strzelecki+National+Park+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556572011517-MCRQW3XVME4M1WHF04GK/Grass+trees+%28Xanthorrhea+australis%29+near+the+coast+in+Strzelecki+National+Park+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Grass trees in dry forest along the south coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556572097064-JMJ3IZHPSH56P5YTYP1I/Grass+trees+with+coastal+forest+and+view+of+the+ocean+in+Strzelecki+National+Park+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556571889712-B3OGRR85LGX4SZ4N44W3/Windblown+coastal+forest+in+Strzelecki+National+Park+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Coastal heath vegetation, backed by windblown forest, near Trousers Point. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556571783765-KUPVHVANC12CH7N16BMQ/Coastal+heath+vegetation+near+Trousers+Point+in+Strzelecki+National+Park+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556571596665-0AD4Y18E1KFV2OV2Z0CU/View+of+Strzelecki+Peak+across+coastal+heath+vegetation+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Coastal heath near Trousers Point at sunset, with Strzelecki Peak hidden in the clouds beyond. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556574730108-YLDK0N17HRBZF1LJNNPT/In-progress+watercolor%2C+with+multiple+layers+to+be+collaged blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634572595267-X3FNI3EO3DSDUSTC214I/Sanctuary.jpg blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Sanctuary, watercolor on layered paper, 15”x15” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556589815504-D36LUNLYUN5JTTYXLXRM/View+north+across+Flinders+Island+from+Strzelecki+Peak+with+montane+scrub+and+forest+vegetation%2C+Tasmania blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Looking north across the mostly cultivated plains of Flinders Island from the ecological sanctuary of Strzelecki National Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556573077752-7PRMJ51YY4HQS24E4YJ1/Sunset+view+of+Strzelecki+Peak+from+the+beach%2C+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | National Park and Worldview Strzelecki National Park at sunset, from the beach north of Trousers Point. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/5/7/exhibition-ecological-niche monthly 0.5 2019-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1557268019313-P6QN78E2QPRCYJ6A7SHL/SEARSeco19%2B%25281%2529.jpg blog - Exhibition | Ecological Niche https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1557267716069-J8YLFRTSSJESZWXIXY5E/Watercolor%2Bpainting%2B%2522Floreana%2522%2Bby%2BDarren%2BSears%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bart%2Bexhibition%2B%2522Ecological%2BNiche%2522%2Bat%2BHang%2BArt%2BGallery%2Bin%2BSan%2BFrancisco blog - Exhibition | Ecological Niche Me with Floreana, inspired by the so-named island in the Galápagos. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1557267160384-1731WV2979G2ZVXQ1CYX/Watercolor+paintings+by+Darren+Sears+and+Veronica+Diament+at+the+art+exhibition+%22Ecological+Niche%22+at+Hang+Art+Gallery+in+San+Francisco blog - Exhibition | Ecological Niche Center and right, Ecuador-inspired Lagoon and Ghost Isle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1557267255944-1RBNBGTRN2G6WRNFPVPK/Watercolor+paintings+by+Darren+Sears+and+Veronica+Diament+at+the+art+exhibition+%22Ecological+Niche%22+at+Hang+Art+Gallery+in+San+Francisco blog - Exhibition | Ecological Niche https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/4/25/sanctuary-flinders-island-residency monthly 0.5 2022-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634572522282-7ANH54M6R6T3F28RGNP2/Sanctuary.jpg blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania Sanctuary, watercolor on layered paper, 15”x15.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556729230383-CDF6UIIBCRDDBN4QKNE8/Darren_ResidencyPresentation1.jpg blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556592210388-62ZY14H8QWH3GOO6XJDT/Darren_ResidencyPresentation2.jpg blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556498636362-OLULCYWFEYC579IWP3BN/Tannin-dyed+stream+and+forest+behind+the+beach+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556552475716-D70L1JIM054WF7982RX4/Coastal+scrub+vegetation+and+rocky+Mount+Killiecrankie+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556554946974-AMJWAVM8SCGZMP71YZOK/Beach%2Band%2Bred%2Bboulders%2B%2528colored%2Bby%2Balgae%2529%2Balong%2Bthe%2Bcoast%2Bon%2BFlinders%2BIsland%252C%2BTasmania blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556553346819-CPCATGPXQ6SNYZCAO6SC/Sun+peeking+through+Dicksonia+and+Cyathea+tree+ferns+in+a+lush+rainforest+gully+in+Strzelecki+National+Park+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556551275693-8UE2U19D2D51NZ93MG8Y/Guestrooms+and+lawn+at+Mountain+Seas+Wilderness+Retreat%2C+site+of+my+artist+residency+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania Guestrooms at Mountain Seas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556551762489-3IBXJIWWTPALQMORQKDI/View+across+fields+and+forest+to+Strzelecki+Peak+on+a+sunny+day+at+Mountain+Seas+Wilderness+Retreat%2C+site+of+my+artist+residency+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania View into the National Park from my bedroom with usually cloud-obscured Strzelecki Peak (756m) in the center. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556551986641-K5Y2JRYNMM2AFATYHFPQ/Forest+with+tea+trees+and+tree+ferns+at+Mountain+Seas+Wilderness+Retreat%2C+site+of+my+artist+residency+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania Walking trail through streamside forest at Mountain Seas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556554566193-3HC6BVVI03VXFTOAURKK/Pond+and+forest+with+ocean+in+the+distance+on+a+sunny+day+at+Mountain+Seas+Wilderness+Retreat%2C+site+of+my+artist+residency+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania Pond, forest and ocean view at Mountain Seas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556592242315-YRDWW8XYRBQO5JFEH02U/Darren_ResidencyPresentation3.jpg blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556554892660-7EYNJG4TP6VKAQC7Z5DN/Wombat%2Bbelow%2Bthe%2Bdeck%2Bat%2BMountain%2BSeas%2BWilderness%2BRetreat%2C+site+of+my+artist+residency%2Bon%2BFlinders%2BIsland%252C%2BTasmania blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania Wombat and… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556554856130-ZK8YBJ5KQ2M3AR3Y0OJ1/At+work%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bdeck%2Bof%2BMountain%2BSeas%2BWilderness%2BRetreat%2C+site+of+my+artist+residency%2Bon%2BFlinders%2BIsland%252C%2BTasmania%2Bwith%2Bocean%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bdistance blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania …other deck-dwelling wildlife of Mountain Seas (with the sea in the distance). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556734417805-3LUZWD3NV3L41SLYIOCS/Barnacle+Island%2C+watercolor+on+paper+with+layered%2C+laser-cut+plexiglass blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania Barnacle Island, watercolor on paper with layered plexiglass, 15”x15”x1”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556734475545-JG6M34WHZ38SNTPSNRLV/Bat+Island%2C+watercolor+on+paper+with+layered%2C+laser-cut+plexiglass blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania Bat Island, watercolor on paper with layered plexiglass, 15”x20”x1”. The plexiglass in the center is layered like a topographical model; on the left side it’s a single layer etched with waterways and topo lines. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556734722285-9TTXZP5YSIF3OJ1SJ1TO/Peaks+and+forest+of+Strzelecki+National+Park+at+sunset%2C+seen+from+Mountain+Seas+Art+and+Wilderness+Retreat+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania The National Park just before sunset, viewed across the lawn at Mountain Seas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556554377935-T8FE3BFMJOVRGHG55UDA/Beaches%2C+Trousers+Point+and+Mountain+Seas+Wilderness+Retreat+from+the+rocky+summit+of+Strzelecki+Peak blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania View of Mountain Seas (the most distant cleared area) and the coast from Strzelecki Peak. Trousers Point is hidden by the rock in the upper left. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1556556427606-MQ0SORLZSXLZD3QE74LG/View+of+mountains+of+Strzelecki+National+Park%2C+with+Strzelecki+Peak+hidden+by+cloud%2C+from+the+beach+at+low+tide+on+Flinders+Island%2C+Tasmania%2C+Australia blog - Sanctuary | Residency on Flinders Island, Tasmania Strzelecki National Park, with Strzelecki Peak shrouded in cloud, viewed from the beach north of Trousers Point at low tide. https://www.darrensears.com/blog/2019/4/6/introduction monthly 0.5 2022-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1554591794167-Z86H11GEN15GU0VH5KM6/new+zealand+taranaki+mountain+volcano blog - Welcome! From alpine grassland down to rainforest and farmland, Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1554696328814-2TCK5K8I6KAIEDFX5ILN/rio+de+janeiro+rainforest+city blog - Welcome! Rio de Janeiro from the urban rainforest of Tijuca National Park https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1554592308578-ENMIRAIZ367N8ODIJ5XG/el+angel+moorland+paramo+ecuador blog - Welcome! Wet and windy páramo (alpine moorland) incongruously bordering farmland, El Ángel, Ecuador https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1554592527687-0NDTQMGT8HL446FABXWR/auckland+rangitoto+volcano blog - Welcome! Volcanic and wild Rangitoto Island seen from suburban Auckland, New Zealand https://www.darrensears.com/new-work daily 0.75 2025-08-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1756396990481-TEF8C5APBHCSX5Y52KH3/image-asset.jpeg new work - fire fields watercolor on paper | 30"x40" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1756396990481-TEF8C5APBHCSX5Y52KH3/image-asset.jpeg new work - fire fields watercolor on paper | 30"x40" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1736042231030-ADX3GLPXG6AU2PPRBBJV/image-asset.jpeg new work - oasis II watercolor on paper | 30"x40" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1724886988329-VU3NVEXPLP88X7AZ8DXJ/Headland.jpg new work - headland watercolor on paper | 30"x40" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1597083289006-DG2VOEYZHO84MHJ3I9WH/Peaks.jpg new work - peaks watercolor on paper | 42”x37” | learn more https://www.darrensears.com/biography daily 0.75 2025-06-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/190ebd4b-5f98-46b6-8533-067c7eee7d66/IMG_20191027_164231-cr.jpg Bio - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/aabaf6d8-fbcb-4532-b326-829cf3488fde/379127595_10227511639150277_6128723909222073338_n.jpg Bio - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/home daily 1.0 2025-05-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634745930125-KQL6Q1QE2I4AQ1UJFTHX/Sears_Great+Walk_25x50unframed.jpg Home I experience and describe nature in map form— as journeys through multifaceted worlds made up of edges and islands. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/94e87724-08fc-49f2-85f1-939ed09ed0f2/Hang.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/6807f27c-36dd-4166-b6b6-dde90a037700/harvard.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/df3222be-7979-492b-b24c-9f02d7fd9e5d/NACIS2023.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/13b01023-98c5-492b-80a7-65472a9c84a8/Field.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/8f092ad6-c3de-4622-b3f4-262712d8e9a7/NACIS2022.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/16709fe8-2222-478d-97b4-9493b5e1ddf4/IJC.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/e6838db8-18ae-49dd-a6b5-0b49a6cd7554/magazine_online.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/f24e661e-0730-4a0c-ae32-cad9392af7d1/magazine1.jpg Home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.darrensears.com/contact daily 0.75 2022-08-11 https://www.darrensears.com/watercolorandoil daily 0.75 2020-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634530234996-ZAKSSZUZ3AW91IC0T1H1/Traverse.jpg watercolor & oil - traverse oil on canvas | 48"x48" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634530384718-ROXGNTT5QCK0RZA8A3YS/two-sided+lake.jpg watercolor & oil - two-sided lake oil on canvas | 48"x48" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634694958948-IE0PRPJ2UPV09TBQDKGW/high+desert_small.jpg watercolor & oil - high desert oil on canvas | 48"x48" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634530421667-QKS7ESUPH3W8LS7VJOQO/Wedge.jpg watercolor & oil - wedge oil on canvas | 48"x48" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1745967072479-EE1L1E7NGZ7J081JQLSH/Oasis.jpg watercolor & oil - oasis watercolor on paper | 43"x43" (framed) | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1730690206578-HWEWAGQTFOHQ398YCHAR/The+Last+Island.jpg watercolor & oil - the last island watercolor on aquabord | 20"x16" | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1719097376041-YTKKFMZAAR9AI0S1UB19/Cone.jpg watercolor & oil - cone watercolor on paper | 41"x41" (framed) | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1712711224457-797CUGBPU0IWHJXZP6Z0/Wilds.jpg watercolor & oil - wilds watercolor on paper | 48"x48" (framed) | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1689459645146-1XSN2JBQB858XLNM8PRW/Summit.jpg watercolor & oil - summit watercolor on paper | 39"x52" | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1680643255321-9PTDCNL49QW5IPWZJ5JT/Peaks.jpg watercolor & oil - peaks watercolor on paper | 46”x41” (framed) | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1680643351321-YM2AO4Q2XY1QWXUE86B7/Fog+Meadows.jpg watercolor & oil - fog meadows watercolor on paper | 40"x52" (framed) | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1680643421769-SXSHDLWYCBKADEVUW4XT/Reveal.jpg watercolor & oil - reveal watercolor on paper | 34"x54" (framed) | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634592544637-WEEIUODRUOFNE3TCX6RS/the+last+ones_L.jpg watercolor & oil - the last ones oil on canvas | 48"x60" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634571552330-QXGT4GCGKOP174SS3PKD/Broken+Island.jpg watercolor & oil - broken island oil on canvas | 36"x48" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634571599535-R1RBO9ELOIDDMHB8JXAA/Harbour+Island.jpg watercolor & oil - harbour island watercolor on paper | 23"x23" (framed) | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634571656854-NQ180WIKTVPGNUKX50EB/Lagoon.jpg watercolor & oil - lagoon watercolor on paper | 40"x40" (framed) | learn more https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634571712517-D378BS08QN5PQUAGGYDY/fall.jpg watercolor & oil - fall oil on canvas | 44"x84" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634571754851-3YKZLI96LLC5XYBWIWYS/Cloud+Snag.jpg watercolor & oil - cloud snag oil on canvas | 54"x54" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634571803719-XRUTMBB8KRRQJERRBC4V/at+the+aloes.jpg watercolor & oil - at the aloes oil on canvas | 32"x84" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634571908952-VPNNX37KO81JCXRP7K2B/Sears_Great+Walk_25x50unframed.jpg watercolor & oil - great walk watercolor on paper | 29"x54" (framed) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634571965939-LPQ1QWHHT70JR20RMOVN/P%C3%A1ramo.jpg watercolor & oil - páramo watercolor on paper | 32"x40" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634572081705-41VA7WYAXZM5HI40PO1H/Alpine+Crossing.jpg watercolor & oil - alpine crossing watercolor on paper | 23"x20" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1634572143841-YPHF8OOPZBEIUQVNJ4C3/Rock.jpg watercolor & oil - rock watercolor on paper | 20"x26" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1520983397776-56F86GK1JRXM44COP6KO/refuges.jpg watercolor & oil - refuges oil on canvas | 32"x96" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516146030170-VH2LAM4WPVZJE4V5279V/rise.jpg watercolor & oil - rise oil on canvas | 48"x72" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516146029377-LFDK45O418E6RK24BUU4/hollow.jpg watercolor & oil - hollow oil on canvas | 32"x96" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516146023913-OLOK9XNI2VWW7EB7JO66/apex.jpg watercolor & oil - apex oil on canvas | 30"x84" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516146023965-ND6QCUVBJC36OFFMMD2C/basin.jpg watercolor & oil - basin oil on canvas | 44"x84" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516146025882-2J8WEZF9RFYWW8ZN74K1/bleak+point.jpg watercolor & oil - bleak point oil on canvas | 36"x72" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516146026567-FM0RS2H9HI2FZQXFEZAS/high+moor.jpg watercolor & oil - high moor oil on canvas | 48"x48" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516146029448-Y11HYQNG31W5DASGP952/interior.jpg watercolor & oil - interior oil on canvas | 26"x66" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516146827141-I05GT23RWJ5Z9D7D3I8D/the+last+ones-study.jpg watercolor & oil - the last ones (study) oil on canvas | 20"x20" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516235696257-GB9B6IBWDFFUZW2VZMXS/Colonies.jpg watercolor & oil - colonies oil on canvas | 44"x60" https://www.darrensears.com/photomontage daily 0.75 2017-07-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1425782517004-WH03XJZ5AUTF7BHI4J6F/windward+coast.jpg photomontage - windward coast https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1425782519403-609H3IZCBOWW64P35GHG/basin.jpg photomontage - basin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1425782521003-GBMIY4EBI4FD2BAYPUWA/bleak+point.jpg photomontage - bleak point https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1425782519603-THRV64X7SHFEOE8AMCWX/guarded+source.jpg photomontage - crater lake https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1425782516706-FRA0GS1EWUPNB7DWRCP0/interior.jpg photomontage - interior https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1425782516803-EH3FA2BSBWIDKM4KL6P3/rise.jpg photomontage - rise https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1425782516605-MBBHKWLY9G5UJG8XN37Z/outpost.jpg photomontage - 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fissure watercolor on paper | 20"x25" (framed) | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1501375901378-AM9BHEK8H3YSVF060BF1/Floating.jpg mixed media - glow watercolor on paper | 20"x25" (framed) | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1523654503165-99G6C8F4N5P4GDIRQ0NV/Village+Volcano.jpg mixed media - village volcano watercolor on paper & oil on plexiglass | 15"x20" | NFS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1522435161990-0V4MU2YRFCF4XPU0XJVB/Community+Crater+Cluster.jpg mixed media - community crater cluster watercolor on paper & oil on plexiglass | 15"x20" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1522435352914-1CI9XON8CA1ZBX3KHYPW/Windows.jpg mixed media - windows watercolor on paper & layered plexiglass | 15"x20" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1522435377774-FGW1NT3S0C5I9MK7PDPS/Windows_oblique.jpg mixed media - windows watercolor on paper & layered plexiglass | 15"x20" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1524694603704-AZR7RN6950SEI0V9IQR8/Barnacle+Island.jpg mixed media - barnacle island watercolor on paper & layered plexiglass | 15"x15" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1524694615738-XCZFAVY0XYER730J0TCU/Barnacle_oblique.jpg mixed media - barnacle island watercolor on paper & layered plexiglass | 15"x15" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1524694628550-GF37FE9VDOZB4HB2SFEH/Bat+Island.jpg mixed media - bat island watercolor on paper & layered plexiglass, laser-etched | 15"x20" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1524694637822-7OWWCP4C0RF3BLJQNFQT/Bat+Island2.jpg mixed media - bat island watercolor on paper & layered plexiglass, laser-etched | 15"x20" | contact HANG ART for price https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1524694667865-VNO71MEHYB2R8F081GNG/Seabiscuit+Island.jpg mixed media - 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sand dollar island watercolor on paper & layered plexiglass I 18"x18" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516148485259-A85KKPULB0U7E0Z5JKIU/Starfish+Island.jpg mixed media - starfish island watercolor on paper & laser-etched plexiglass I 18"x18" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1516148481620-QDFYHJ4CUWZW3KR3NK4E/East+Rim.jpg mixed media - saucer island I enlargement I east rim watercolor on paper & ink on plastic film I 20"x15" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/1554172769826-L33VSX1C54KQ984WHBUG/Wart+Island.jpg mixed media - wart island watercolor on paper & layered plexiglass, laser-etched I 20"x15" https://www.darrensears.com/test daily 0.75 2019-05-12 https://www.darrensears.com/statement daily 0.75 2025-06-04 https://www.darrensears.com/new-page daily 0.75 2020-08-01 https://www.darrensears.com/music daily 0.75 2022-09-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54e55ad3e4b00ee51f3bb1c9/b79668c9-09c7-410e-8742-eabf5b4923b2/video+thumbnail+copy_play+button.jpg music - 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