The Moment
The Moment, 36” x 48” acrylic on canvas
Like millions of people in the world, the Yosemite area of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, with its granite intensity, waterways, and stunning beauty, has a special place in my heart. It’s also the place that has made me the most me.
In 1935, my great grandpa “Wilbow” was able to lease land and establish a family heritage cabin just outside the Yosemite National Park border. It is my happy place. My parents found my name close by, eating breakfast after a fly fish backpacking trip. They heard, “Hey Tessa, two eggs over easy” and finally agreed after days of debating names like Fern and Buck. I grew up at home in the wilderness hiking, backpacking, fishing, swimming with my family. We slept outside, not once in a tent, always under the sky. It was on the cabin deck, laying on old fashioned cots under Ponderosa Pines, Cedars and Black Oaks with the stars beyond where and when I experienced my first sense of wonder.
As a wee one, I was also intrigued by the dramatically shifting daytime skies, sunny and clear one moment, clouds thunder lightning rain the next. Time lapse to decades later…
My love affair with the Yosemite area and Sierra Nevada range has only intensified with time. My backpacking adventures and art that came from them began to make me a living. I wanted to paint a large Yosemite Valley scape inspired by a singular moment. I told my mom, Suzy, this who at the time was the volunteer manager for the Yosemite Conservancy. She gave me some insights on where to find some unique painting inspirations.
One fall morning, I went into the valley early and found the site she mentioned. To my astonishment and delight, standing in front of the Merced River with Half Dome refectling, and morning light glowing on the granite walls and Black Oak leaves shimmering gold, I found the moment I was hoping for. I sat down, drew feverishly, and made a list of what to include in the painting. Within a few minutes the light changed, clouds took over, and the moment passed. I shook my head in wonder that I was granted the experience I came looking for, however fleeting.
I came home to Bonny Doon and painted the 4’ by 3’ canvas outside under Ponderosa pines and out came The Moment. To date, it is one of my most popular paintings.
