From Buffalo Point Looking across White Rock Bay
Notes:
- I like this image as an art work, although its beauty is subtle due to the filtered sunshine of this brisk March 6th day. I offer the following notes, entirely optional, to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the scene. I believe that the ultimate appreciation of art is nonverbal and that the road to that nonverbal appreciation often lies through the verbal.
- Here are the four most prominent terraces left by the varying levels of the ancient Lake Bonneville. From top to bottom: (2) Bonneville, (3) Provo, (1) Stansbury, and (4) Gilbert. The numbers denote the chronological order of the shorelines.
- The Gilbert shoreline is just above the beach. Antelope Island is one the of the few places where this Gilbert terrace is visible. Geologists are still arguing about the validity of the Gilbert level.
- Frary Peak at the top left of the photo is the high point of the island. Some of the oldest rocks on Earth are preserved on this island.
- The Oquirrh Mountains are the snow covered peaks in the right distance.
- Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh range is bristling with TV and FM antennas. Philo T. Farnsworth was a significant pioneer in television technology and had strong ties to Utah.
From the Visitor Center Looking NW Across Bridger Bay
Note: Art critics talk of spectators in pictures who act as surrogates for us external spectators. This bison is such an internal spectator, although his attention seems to be focused on his afternoon snack of grass rather than on the scene: The Great Salt Lake extending to the Lakeside Mountains and the west desert beyond. Carrington Island is the dark mass on the left.
Antelope Island Rock Garden
Note: I feel extremely fortunate to have encountered this scene. I experience much peace as my eye surveys this scene brimming with biology and geology.
Tintic Quartzite Nestled in the Grass
Notes:
- I love the palette of colors and the varying textures.
- This rock is about 540 million years old.
As I write this post during the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, I find that the making and presenting of art is joyful. My goal that you may find some respite as you experience these images, also.
Best regards,
Dr. Mike
I needed this post today!
Once I had a friend from Scotland visit me for several weeks. She thought the desert was dull and bare and missed the green of her local hills. It was only after I took her on a tour of Great Salt Lake and the West Desert, pointing out the various plants, types of rock and soil and pointed out the subtle color of the immense open spaces that she changed her opinion about the spaces we were exploring (albeit she still preferred the green).
My ability to describe the WestDesert is only drawing from the sights and smells of the landscape. How wonderful to read about the names of the lake levels (and note the names of the peaks from your past post)!
Although I won’t remember the chronological details in any exact fashion – reading this post certainly broadens my appreciation of the area! I had never heard about the Gilbert Terrace. Who knew?!! Lol.
Thank you so much for your comment, full of your own sensory experiences! Again, I greatly appreciate you for opening my eyes to color (literally!). Now I look for the subtlest shades of tint and in monochromatic scenes for the subtlest shadows. Thank you for tolerating the chronological order of the terraces. My goal was to show how complicated the scene is. It has taken me years to memorize that order, and I wonder what more important data should be in my aging brain. BTW If one wants to get a glimpse of the green hills of Scotland, one has to look no farther than my very post of this blog. It was wonderful that you and I were able to share that photo workshop in the Highlands.
Perfect escape this morning while I have my coffee!
That you connected with post is the highest praise an artist can have! Thank you for looking and for commenting! During this COVID-19 pandemic I am not permitted to visit Antelope Island because I reside in a different county. I am jealous that not only do you live in the same county but also the island is in your backyard!
Thanks for sharing the great pictures.