Review of exhibit, ‘Morro Rock and the Marketplace’
Window on the Water photography by Yael Korin Korin.
–The Morro Bay Art Association is proud to present, The Rock and the Marketplace, a countywide exhibition. This event is a celebration of iconic Morro Rock and San Luis Obispo county’s street market fairs. This collection of paintings in all media and styles, captures the color and energy of Morro Rock in all its changing aspects.
There was a reception on Sunday, July 1st, and the exhibit will be showing through August 13, from 12 – 4 p.m. daily at the Art Center Morro Bay, located at 835 Main St.
Review of show by artist Sue Nash:
Morro Bay is among the most visually spectacular communities in America. It has a rich early history that stretches back to the early days of the Chumash and Salinan Native Americans and visits by the Manila Galleons of the 16th Century. In 1542, Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo named Morro Bay’s magnificent landmark “El Morro” (Spanish for crown-shaped hill). It is the last of a line of long-extinct volcanoes, which include nine peaks ranging from San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay, called the Nine Sisters. Morro Rock is a State Historic Landmark, a bird sanctuary and home to nesting Peregrine Falcons. It is therefore closed to any climbing or disturbance. At a height of 576 feet, Morro Rock has been an important marine navigational aid for over 300 years. As the highest of the Nine Sisters, Morro Rock is a dominant feature of the Central Coast. It is likely the most photographed of all the Nine Sisters, and serves as Morro Bay’s gateway to the Pacific Ocean.
Excerpt from: “Images of America: Morro Bay” (Arcadia Publishing 2006) by Roger Castle and Gary Ream for the Historical Society of Morro Bay:
Each of the peaks, Morro Rock, Black Hill, Cabrillo Peak, Hollister Peak, Cerro Romualdo, Chumash Peak, Bishop Peak, Cerro San Luis and Islay Hill were formed 22-25 million years ago, when volcanic plugs of magma welled up and solidified into softer rock. Over time the softer rock eroded away, leaving behind steep, rocky buttes called volcanic plugs that provide the area with a unique, natural skyline.
Morro Rock ‘N Dock, Acrylic by Nico Vandenheuvel.
Morro Rock dominates our scenic coast. When local artists see Morro Rock and begin to plan and design their interpretation, they may think of its deep past: as a geological formation, or as a sacred site and center of Chumash ocean fishing, made possible by the advanced design in their plank canoes and fishhooks. Prosperous in fishing or tourism, Morro Rock was also the source of the extraction of 1.2 million tons of rock for construction from the nineteenth century until 1963, when the practice ceased. Today, for artists, it symbolizes our Central Coast home, where we play, learn and grow. For our SLO County artists the rock is familiar and well-loved.
In art, the rock must ultimately be expressed in a chosen medium, color, line, form, mood, and size. This viewer delighted in the diversity of approaches; particularly enjoying the peek at the Rock through the trees from the Natural History Museum, or from Montana de Oro, and from the Rock out toward the sea at the shoreline. Media used varies widely. Pastels, acrylics, oils and watercolor capture the many effects of the weather, season or time of day on the Rock. Digital photography, presented on aluminum, on panels and as framed art, provides the details and views of the rock with humor, vivacity, and drama.
This show presents a multiplicity of color, mood and vantage points of this emblem of Morro Bay.
Fog-drenched or in blazing sun, subtly glimpsed or fully covering the canvas, Morro Rock rocks as the iconic foundation of our spot on earth. Morro Rock is sacred ground, geologic feature, surf spot, marketplace, fishing grounds, nature preserve: HOME.
About Sue Nash
Sue Nash is an artist who shows her work at Hana Coast Gallery, Hana, Maui and Morro Bay Art Center. She taught art appreciation at Cuesta College and lives in Cambria.
