"...my "Mt. Fuji" - iconic, singular, a beacon."

 Photo Courtesy of Mike Perholtz

What makes something iconic. According to the OED "Of, or pertaining to, or resembling an icon:"
An icon is "A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of a culture, movement, etc. ;
someone or something afforded great admiration or respect."
After living in the mountains for the last 24 years I know that people feel this way about a peak that  is a presence in their life on a daily basis or one that they have always wanted to climb. The shape of Lone Cone and it's singular presence could be representative of all volcanic mountains
that stand alone.
In the Lonely Planet Guide to the Canary Islands,  Josephine Quintero referred to El Teide on Tenerife as an "emblematic pyramid".
I suppose all these musings are about trying to get the essence of a particular aspect of the landscape.
Up until now my plein air paintings have been a visual record of what is happening on a particular day at the Lone Cone, and right now what is happening is fresh and new green on trees near and far.
Here are a couple of paintings from last week.

"Coning" on Tuesday, 4/24/12

Two Views of Lone Cone: the top view is from the Broken or Busted Arm Draw Road or in that vicinity. Well to be more precise on 642 Road off of 44Z, Lone Cone Road. It did come to mind that I would be painting in the woods by myself as the bears are waking up with their cubs.
I don't carry pepper spray, maybe I should.
Well I played a tape of opera singer Maria Callas, so they'd know I was there.
It was really enjoyable.
Then I headed to the far side of Miramonte Reservoir for an afternoon painting. The clouds were moving in and the wind picking up but I found a spot in the shelter of a few Junipers.

First Day "Coning", April 18, 2012

                                            Drawing Lone Cone from Gurley Lake

                                           Painting Lone Cone from the Norwood Cemetery

Last Wednesday was my first day going over to Norwood to paint the Lone Cone.
Stealing a term from John Constable, the 19th century English landscape painter, who said
"I have done a good deal of skying." referring to his days painting the weather and light from above,
"I am going "coning".

I mentioned in the last post that I had contacted people via Internet and E-mail asking about their favorite spots from which to view the Lone Cone. Here are a few of the answers I received:

"from the broken arm draw road."
"habitat is more important than some rock of 12,700 feet."
"...I have called Lone Cone my Andy Warhol* of mountains..."
"We have a beautiful view from our place, especially when the sun rises up."

I visited the office of the Norwood Ranger District and archaeologist Robert McKeever was very helpful pointing out sites on a terrific map of the area that is for sale at the office in Norwood.
I also got a tour that brought me almost to the base of the mountain with a local resident of Gurley Lake.
This all took time so I only had a chance to do a small drawing and watercolor.
Next week I will know exactly where to go.

*To see Andy Warhol's screenprint of another volcanic mountain, as well as other artists who have painted volcanoes click here.





                          

LONE CONE AND MT. FUJI

Let me start by saying that I am not a geologist, but I am interested in learning about the land
and the subject I have decided to depict in this new project.
I know from my reading that Mt. Fuji is a volcanic mountain, actually an "active stratovolcano" that last erupted in the early 1700's.
Folks in Norwood tell me that Lone Cone is a "volcanic plug", which is a volcanic landform
created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. So...not an actual volcano.
Visually the forms are similar. I think Lone Cone looks more mountainous and of course the
surrounding environment is very different, but they share that overall shape rising up into the sky.
Lone Cone starts rising up into the sky from Wright's Mesa at 7000 feet and reaches 12,614 feet
at the peak.
It is a solitary, symmetrical peak that is the western-most of the major peaks in the San Juan Mountains.
The fact that it stands apart from the rest of the mountains surrounding it makes it a local landmark for several miles around.
I have painted all around the area but not much in Norwood so I e-mailed several people I found
on the Internet and made a visit to the Ranger's office last week.
Next post I'll share some of the answers I received, some very strong points of view, some poetic.

TWELVE VIEWS OF LONE CONE

100 Views of Mt. Fuji has captured my imagination for as long as I can remember.
The work of Hokusai and Hiroshige has inspired and influenced the way I see and paint the landscape. So...I am pleased to announce that with support from a Fellowship Grant from Telluride Arts I will be going to learn the art of Japanese woodblock printmaking this June at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center! The class is titled Japanese-Style Woodcut Printmaking & the Western Landscape, taught by Tom Killion. This ties the painting I have been doing here in Colorado over the last two decades to a new medium and way of capturing the landscape.
Over the next year I plan to work on a series of twelve prints of the Lone Cone (more on this iconic SW Colorado mountain in my next post).