24 W here else on earth can you stand in a swirling torrent of turbid glacial meltwater and look up at a heavily glaciated mountain peak rising from the tundra, towering almost 3.6 miles above you? Denali’s north face, an extraordinary wall of snow and ice known as the Wickersham Wall, accounts for more than two of those miles. To those who love the mountains, this stunning image has no peer. Here we are about to conquer nearby Mount Mather—in a first ascent. Standing later that day on the tiny and precarious Mather summit, gazing across at Denali, I experienced a most extraordinary exhilaration, one without peer. For me, in my late twenties, spectacular mountain summits were irresistible magnets. Winslow Briggs DIRECTOR EMERITUS, DEPARTMENT OF PLANT BIOLOGY, CARNEGIE INSTITUTION FOR SCIENCE, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, RECIPIENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR BIOLOGY, JAPAN (2009) Denali ALASKA, UNITED STATES From Homer Looking across the Cook Inlet to Halibut Cove 2014 | Watercolour and graphite on paper, shell, beads (bone, glass), twine, felt, map | 11 1/4 x 16 in. / 7 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. | 28.6 x 40.6 cm / 19.1 x 8.3 cm 11 August 2014 • with Peerooza, Persis, Steve, Tom • a chilly, wet, buggy evening • OPPOSITE Denali and Wonder Lake Looking South from Ansel Adams Point 2014 | Watercolour and graphite on paper, acrylic, bone, leather, glass beads, glass tubes, oil, gold, cork, wax, wood, map | 36 x 54 in. / 3 1/2 x 10 in. 91.4 x 137.2 cm / 8.9 x 25.4 cm Thursday August 7th 2014 • with SF • after excruciating complications, huge expense and illegal camping we bushwack to an inspiring site and a rare glimpse of the mountain • August 16 • return to the site • hide my gear under a bush • attempt to navigate my way through Park regulations • like a weasel’s intestines! • August 17 • at last a collaborative Ranger • set up board • start drawing • Denali has disappeared in rain and cloud • paint middleground • see lone wolf • grizzly bear • fox • eagle • caribou • August 18 • a frustrating day attempting to paint in pouring rain • August 19 • ditto • August 20 • ditto • set up a studio in my cabin • August 21 • a clear view of Denali • I work in sunshine 8am – 7pm • August 22 • another good day until rain at 4.30 but I don’t care • the painting is resolved • August 23 • pack • leave • show the Rangers the painting • discover I have been working on Ansel Adams exact spot • 11 August 2014 • with Peerooza, Persis, Steve, Tom • a chilly, wet, buggy evening •
