ALASKA- Kenai Fjords National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park is a United States National Park established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The park covers an area of 669,984 acres  on the Kenai Peninsula in south central Alaska, near the town of Seward. The park contains the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States. The park is named for the numerous fjords carved by glaciers moving down the mountains from the ice field. The field is the source of at least 38 glaciers, the largest of which is Bear Glacier. The park lies just to the west of Seward, a popular port for cruise ships. Exit Glacier is reachable by road and is a popular tour destination. The remainder of the park is primarily accessible by boat. The fjords are glacial valleys that have been submerged below sea level by a combination of rising sea levels and land subsidence.

Kenai Fjords National Monument was initially designated by President Jimmy Carter on December 1, 1978, using the Antiquities Act, pending final legislation to resolve the allotment of public lands in Alaska. Establishment as a national park followed the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. The park protects the icefield, a narrow fringe of forested land between the mountains and the sea, and the deeply indented coastline. The park is home to a variety of terrestrial and marine mammals, including bears, whales, seals and moose.

Today we travel to the Kenai Peninsula along the scenic Seward Highway. Every turn is spectacular! We stop at the Anchorage Wildlife Refuge and see bears, moose, elk and others. We visit Exit Glacier which is part of Kenai Fjords National Park. We see how far the glacier has receded and how much the recession has accelerating in current years.

Along the Seward Highway

Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjord National Park

700 foot waterfall near the Exit Glacier

ALASKA- Prince William Sound

Alaska!

Alaska is a U.S. state situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent. Bordering the state to the east is Yukon, a Canadian territory, and the Canadian province of British Columbia, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia (specifically, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and Kamchatka Krai) further west across the Bering Strait. Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area, the 4th least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately half of Alaska's 731,443 residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the oil, natural gas, and fishing industries, resources which it has in abundance. Tourism is also a significant part of the economy.

Although it had been occupied for thousands of years by indigenous peoples, from the 18th century onward, European powers considered the territory of Alaska ripe for exploitation. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million ($121 million adjusted for inflation) at approximately two cents per acre. The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.

The name "Alaska" had been introduced in the Russian colonial period, when it was used to refer to the peninsula. It was derived from an Aleut idiom, which figuratively refers to the mainland of Alaska. Literally, it means object to which the action of the sea is directed. It is also known as Alyeska, the "great land", an Aleut word derived from the same root.

What a beautiful state! Day one in Anchorage, through Portage and a relatively new tunnel en route to Whittier. Then a cruise to see 26 glaciers in Prince Williams Sound. We saw whales, sea otters and lots of birds.

Marina at Portage

Glacier on Prince William Sound

Prince Edward Sound

Glacier in Prince William Sound

Far From The Familiar- The Amazon River in Peru

Far From the Familiar 1- mixed media

Far From the Familiar 2- mixed media

Far From the Familiar 3- mixed media

Far From the Familiar 4- mixed media

Far From the Familiar 5- mixed media

Far From the Familiar 6- mixed media

This series of mixed media prints was inspired by a trip to the Amazon River in Peru in the winter of 2013. It was very far from what is familiar to me. There was little personal space when we went to see how people lived. They did not have windows or doors. The roofs were made of tin or thatched with palm leaves. The land was lush; the flowers grew everywhere. Leaves on trees were enormous! We traveled everywhere by river. I haven't posted my pictures or written about it yet, but here is one series I made and I am working on another. The colors and images were unforgettable.

Transforning Journey: Art Inspired by Trip to Myanmar

Cinnamon Memories 1

Cinnamon Memories 2

Cinnamon Memories 3

Cinnamon Memories 4

Bagan Discovery 1

Bagan Discovery 2

Saffron Memories 1

Saffron Memories 2

Travel transforms you, changes how you see the world and how you see yourself. Going to Asia, but especially Myanmar in 2012, was a transcending experience. The place is spiritual and the journey was too. Here is a series of my visual impressions of what I experienced there- the landscape, spice markets, fabrics, stupas, golden Buddhas, and especially, the people.

This series of one-of-a-kind monotypes with gold collage is my visual reflection and my visual memoir of a voyage (both external and internal) I will never forget. The art was inspired by my trip and the journey inspired me in so many ways, visual and others. I finished the series in late 2012 and then edited it more in 2013 as I thought about it more and added and subtracted  as it took a while for the images, ideas and memories to percolate in my mind's eye and manifest themselves more fully. Does the process ever really end? At some point, I say enough! I am ready to call it finished and let the public see it.

I showed some of these first in my solo show at Da Vinci Art Alliance in May 2013. Several of them are now available at the Accent Gallery in Ocean City, New Jersey. Contact me at garf621@aol.com for more details.

Ice and Blue Inspired by Antarctica

Ice and Blue 6

Ice and Blue 5

Ice and Blue 4

Ice and Blue 3

Ice and Blue 2

Ice and Blue 1

Colossal Sea 2

Colossal Sea 1

This series of monotypes and monotypes with collage was inspired by our travel to Antarctica in the winter of 2012. Pristine, white, wild and wonderful! Silent and gorgeous, the seventh continent is a place of great beauty and spectacular scenery. Itis a special and unique place and I feel privileged to have been there. The ocean is clear blue- no pollution at all!

I tried to capture to majesty, the color and the spectacle in these one-of-a-kind prints .

Quark Expedition- The Gift of White!

Glacier at Neko Harbor

Snow with the magical blue glow of glacial ice

A zodiac full of explorers

Antarctica rarely gets precipitation but we got snow and rain

More fabulous scenery on the White Continent

The beautiful scenery, combine with the peace and silence of Antarctica makes it such a special, almost holy, place. Only around 40,000 visitors go there annually. Small-scale "expedition tourism" has existed since 1957 and is currently subject to Antarctic Treaty and Environmental Protocol provisions, but in effect self-regulated by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Not all vessels associated with Antarctic tourism are members of IAATO, but IAATO members account for 95% of the tourist activity. Travel is largely by small or medium ship, focusing on specific scenic locations with accessible concentrations of iconic wildlife. We were told the numbers are capped to protect the environment.

Nothing grows there since all there is is rock, snow and ice. All that lives is dependent on sea life, especially krill, which was described to be like small shrimp. Antarctic krill, which congregates in large schools, is the keystone species of the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean, and is an important food organism for whales, seals, leopard seals, fur seals, squid, icefish, penguins, albatrosses and many other birds. We actually saw the three types of penguins who nest in the peninsula of Antarctica- Gentoo, Adélie  and Chinstrap, two types of seals- Leopard and Weddell, and whales- not sure what kind. We also saw birds- petrels and skuas mostly. The skuas also eat the eggs and chicks of the penguins. The adults protect them as best they can, but it doesn't always work. The rules of the jungle apply even is this freezing climate!

Emblem of the Antarctic Treaty since 2002

Signed in 1959 by 12 countries, The Antarctic Treaty  now has 49 countries on board. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, prohibits nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists from many nations. There is also a treaty about whaling to protect the whales and all countries, except Japan, do not kill them. I understand Japan still kills whales for experiments in science, but not as much and might not do it much longer since younger people in Japan do not eat whale as the older people did.

If you look at the map of the continent above, we visited the top left peninsula sticking out which is closest to South America. We left from Ushuaia, Argentina (the southern most city in the world) where 95% of the visitors leave from because it is only a 2 day ship ride across Drake Passage to get to the continent. It is the closet departure point. What we saw was amazingly big and impressive and yet, looking at the map, you see it was only a small part of the entire continent. It gives me pause to realize just how vast this amazing continent is! Huge! Massive!

I felt it was such a privilege to visit Antarctica. Not that many people go there and it is so special and unusual a place to be. So different from real life. I am so glad I got to see how simple and elegant and cold! nature can be. It was truly a gift and I am so grateful.

Quark Expedition Continues- Antarctica!

Gentoo penguins on the crest of the hill

Bloody leopard seal- Law of Nature- kill or be killed!

Leopard seal on ice- whales are coming!

We watch seal for whales!

We continue to go out on the Zodiacs twice a day to discover what thee is to see on the White Contient. Theere are only 3 kind of penguins, 3 kinds of seals, several  kinds of birds and several kinds of whales who thrive down here. Nothing grows on the land of white!! Living things eat sealife- krill mostly.

Today we see gentoo penguins. With flamboyant red-orange beaks, white-feather caps, and peach-colored feet, gentoo penguins stand out against their drab, rock-strewn Antarctic habitat. These charismatic waddlers, who populate the Antarctic Peninsula and numerous islands around the frozen continent, are the penguin world’s third largest members, reaching a height of 30 inches and a weight of 12 pounds.

Gentoos are partial to ice-free areas, including coastal plains, sheltered valleys, and cliffs. They gather in colonies of breeding pairs that can number from a few dozen to many thousands. Gentoo parents, which often form long-lasting bonds, are highly nurturing. At breeding time, both parents will work to build a circular nest of stones, grass, moss, and feathers. The mother then deposits two spherical, white eggs, which both parents take turns incubating for more than a month. Hatchlings remain in the nest for up to a month, and the parents alternate foraging and brooding duties.

Like all penguins, gentoos are awkward on land. But they’re pure grace underwater. They have streamlined bodies and strong, paddle-shaped flippers that propel them up to 22 miles an hour, faster than any other diving bird.

Adults spend the entire day hunting, usually close to shore, but occasionally ranging as far as 16 miles out. When pursuing prey, which includes fish, squid, and krill, they can remain below for up to seven minutes and dive as deep as 655 feet.

Gentoo penguins are a favored menu item of the leopard seals that patrol the waters around their colonies. On land, adults have no natural predators other than humans, who harvest them for their oil and skin. Gentoo eggs and chicks, however, are vulnerable to birds of prey, like skuas and caracaras.

Gentoo numbers are increasing on the Antarctic Peninsula. They are protected by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 and received near threatened status on the IUCN Red List in 2007.

The leopard seal is named for its black-spotted coat. The pattern is similar to that of the famous big cat, though the seal's coat is gray rather than golden in color. This seal is sometimes called the sea leopard, and the resemblance is more than skin deep. Like their feline namesakes, leopard seals are fierce predators. They are the most formidable hunters of all the seals and the only ones that feed on warm-blooded prey, such as other seals. Leopard seals use their powerful jaws and long teeth to kill smaller seals, fish, and squid.

These effective predators live in frigid Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters, where they also eat penguins. They often wait underwater near an ice shelf and snare the birds just as they enter the water after jumping off the ice. They may also come up beneath seabirds resting on the water surface and snatch them in their jaws.

Shellfish are a far less dramatic prey but still an important part of the leopard seal's diet.

Leopard seals are earless seals. They have long bodies (10 to 11.5 feet) and elongated heads. Like most other seals, leopard seals are insulated from frigid waters by a thick layer of fat known as blubber. Though the leopard seal is known for its coat, it has not been commercially hunted for its skin like its fur seal relatives. Leopard seals eat the gentoos and whales eat the seals. It's a jungle out there!! ( so to speak)