Tidal Pools and a Sculptor
January 22, 2013
Over 400 feet above sea level, Cabrillo National Monument has it all: Fabulous views of San Diego and the Coronado Islands, Navy jets flying past, beautiful sunsets on the Pacific, a Cape Cod style refurbished lighthouse and an occasional pod of passing gray whales. At low tide the accessible tidal pools are filled with a variety of easily seen sea creatures... knobby and brittle starfish, sea urchins, green anemones, octopus, and little crabby things. Pelicans dive off shore, while snowy egrets poke around the shallow pools. There are great hiking trails along the bay and ocean along with a small military museum.
Happily, This National Park has also just begun an artist-in-residence program.
Little circles of white light were playing across the ceiling when we walked into the park’s Visitors Center. There were dark clouds outside, but rays of sunlight were blasting through and entering Lisa Jetonne’s sculpture, Pickle, and leaving in the form of projected beams.
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Self-portrait with Peninsula: Between Folded Cliffs - Lisa Jetonne |
The source was beautiful and surprising. Marine debris collected from the tidal pools around the park filled old canning and jelly jars arranged on an ancient metal kitchen table. Colorful rainbows of light flashed from these glass containers filled with fishing floats, baby pacifiers, earrings, packing styrofoam, parts of orange highway cones and tape, colorful wrapping and hair ribbons, doll body parts, Chapsticks and lipsticks, jewelry findings... Loads of unidentifiable black and rubbery chunks and strands, yellow plastic dishwashing gloves, coils of rope in all sizes and colors, fishing lines, plastic bags and pieces of string and strip camouflage fabric...
Turning, I realized I was surrounded by some of the most wonderful art I had seen and felt in a long time. To my left was another large piece entitled 
This Is Not A Story of Return (Kelp Forest) 2012. It brought tears to my eyes. Sand, sea glass, rusted bed springs and primitive ceramic sea otters evoked the lost sea otter population of Southern California. A population that even now, supported by the Federal Government may never return.
No less than the sea based paintings of Diebenkorn, Homer, Hokusai and Gericault, Lisa Jetonne’s Installation, Field Notes is about a love and fascination with the sea. It is, of course, also about our effect on and our responsibility to care for the earth’s oceans.
I envy you because I so much miss the sea. To me, the Pacific coast has always been magnificent, and I can feel its magic when looking at your photos. Thanks!
Ilo-Mai
Wow. Thank you so much! Love your anemones watercolor too, really beautiful.
Lisa
Love you guys for sure!
XXOO
Sara
Thank you for introducing me to this beautiful place! How could I have lived in San Diego for 17 months and missed this!
Mary
