Thursday 22 July 2010

Maritime Inversion, Big Sur

Hearing about all the very high temperatures people are experiencing keeps reminding me of the  summer of 2006.  In July, I travelled to a convention by car from San Diego to Albuquerque via Tombstone and back again!  This involved crossing two deserts in a heatwave(!) and my sketches started to record the temperature as well as the place and date (You can see the sketches in USA Sketchbook - Southwestern States)

On my return to San Diego, I flew north to San Francisco with a plan of driving down Big Sur in glorious sunshine.

What I didn't realise is that when it's very hot inland California tends to get a maritime inversion along the coastline.  This is what happens when cold marine air underlies warmer air and gets trapped.  So my memories of Northern California mainly involved grey skies and not very warm weather!  (Not very warm being relative when when you've been living with 100+ degrees Fahrenheit for quite some time!)

 Maritime Inversion, Bixby Bridge, Big Sur
8" x 12", coloured pencils on Arches HP
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

You can read the blog post behind this drawing here - Friday 28th July - "Driving down big Sur - at last" which is aboout the drive along the Pacific Coast Highway down Big Sur.  You can also see the original sketch which was done while stood at the top of some very high cliffs staring down at the very turquoise sea below.

The inversion produces fog and I think there was nearly as much moisture in the air as there was in the water in the Pacific Ocean way down below.  Trying to draw fog is a bit of a challenge!

7 comments:

annie said...

So lovely, Katherine.
annie

Making A Mark said...

Thanks Annie

Jeanette Jobson said...

I remember this image from your trip. Oh yes, the weather between inland and the shore can be so very different.

You have the fog down well in this, never an easy task.

Sarah said...

beautifully atmospheric, in more ways than one!

vivien said...

lovely evocation of the weather and mystery of fog

Making A Mark said...

Many thanks - I actually loved doing the fog and was thinking of trying to find some more projects for foggy drawings

I can well undrstand why they attracted Monet!

Africantapestry and Myfrenchkitchen said...

Beautiful Katherine...and congratulations on capturing that fog so magnificently!
Ronelle