5 Drawings
This is a drawing of a climber standing on the Thank God Ledge on Half Dome in Yosemite, and I found it interesting that when I went to wipe the image away, the words "Thank God" were left behind. I actually really disliked the first drawing (on the left), but kept it as part of my project because I thought the remnants of "Thank God" in chalk were telling about all sorts of experiences climbers have when scaling walls. After discovering the difficulties of drawing with climbing chalk on skin, I thought about my next drawings differently so that I would be more satisfied with the outcomes.
The next four drawings are based on the names of some of the most difficult and well known climbs. This felt like a natural progression from being intrigued by the name, "Thank God", and the power that names take on when the climb or the climber becomes significant.
Drawing 2
Me I Eat Dust (5.15a) is one the hardest climbs in the world. I can only imagine how many times its climber spent falling (eating dust, perhaps) before climbing it successfully. I do the same - fall all the time. Fail all the time. It's not something I'm really comfortable with right now, but I want to become more confident in my failures because that's what eventually leads to success. Failure is evidence of an effort, too, and I want to be proud of that.
When I climb - when I try, fail, and succeed - I get chalk all over my leggings. Writing "Me I Eat Dust" in large letters on my leggings feels like a mark of confidence in my failure... or at least it represents the confidence I want to have in failure. And the handprints - my handprints - are a reminder to own my failure, and eventually, my success.
Drawing 3
This chalk drawing on the bottom of my old climbing shoes is based off The Rostrum with the Alien Roof Finish (5.12), a classic big wall route in Yosemite. It was famously free soloed / FreeBASEd (that means no ropes, no protection, only shoes and chalk!) by the Yosemite Valley legend Dean Potter. Though he didn't actually fall off The Alien Roof, he did utilize his BASE pack on a lot of other routes. Dean Potter conceived the idea of FreeBASE climbing, where free soloers could climb enormous overhanging walls with a BASE jumping pack as a backup method, should they fall. Dean Potter died several years later, in 2015, from a BASE jumping accident, but he is remembered as a revolutionary climber and adventurer.
This drawing shows Dean BASE jumping/wingsuit flying after falling off a wall. I left a trail of chalk behind Dean to show his path, add movement to the drawing, and show what might realistically happen to his chalk when falling at that speed. Just as any free soloer climbs with only shoes, chalk, and imagination, so is this drawing only created with those three elements. I also thought the shape of the shoes was interesting and created a nice, long, vertical canvas, fitting for the scene I had in mind. I am wildly amazed by Dean's adventurous spirit and bravery, though I only know him in memory. I can only imagine what it would have felt like to see this happen in real life and real time.
For reference, here is a clip of Dean soloing and falling from a route. Here is another inspiration (at 2:03).
Drawing 4
This is also inspired by a famous Yosemite Valley climb, Freerider. Specifically, this is the beta (climbing instructions) for Lung Ledge (5.11c), pitch 12 of Freerider. Freerider was famously soloed by Alex Honnold in 2017 and documented in Free Solo in 2018. When soloing, it is imperative to get all the moves right. A single mistake means death, especially if you're around 1000 feet off the ground at Lung Ledge. I researched some climbing beta for Freerider and decided to act out the movements for Lung Ledge on the wall outside the art building. There are only about ten moves for this small section, so it was realistic to demonstrate from a standing position.
I put chalk on my hands and feet and marked the wall according to the beta. Some movements require an open hand, so my full hand print is on the wall. Some say to "smear the left foot", so I smeared my left foot on the wall. Crimps are small finger holds, so I used only my finger pads to mark the wall. I also utilized the crack in the wall as an arete, a corner-like rock feature. After marking the wall, I acted out the motions between holds and labeled each with more chalk.
I really enjoyed creating this because it felt the closest to actual climbing. Climbing and art making often create similar experiences for me, so it felt really natural to practice both in one activity. It was also interesting to act this out when the only high stakes were how hot my bare feet would get standing on the concrete. I can't even begin to imagine doing this 1000 feet (or more) off the valley floor, only getting one chance to get it right. Yikes!
"There are two worlds: there's the world where nothing is sacred except money, and the other world where everything is sacred." - Ron Kauk, famous Yosemite climber
This drawing is inspired by DNA, one of the only two 5.15d routes in the world, climbed by Seb Bouin in April of this year. DNA, or more specifically, why we do certain things, has been on my mind a lot lately. In my senior seminar class, we are reading about our creative DNA. In my free time, I often wonder why climbers climb (or surfers surf, or runners run, etc.). Though I don't think I will ever answer these questions, I find that this quote by a seasoned climber provides a little insight into why I create and and why I climb. Simply put, those artistic and adventurous experiences are sacred to me. They're what I live for, and I am passionate about them as if it that passion were built into me.
It's hard to tell in this image, but the quote is written on a Westmont boulder (a climbing boulder) in a few parts. The letters form to the texture of the rock, and the viewer is meant to engage with the space by moving close to the boulder, peering between trees, walking around the corner, and even stepping on crunchy leaves. I intend to put the viewer in the same sacred space I point out.
I am conflicted between feeling like the words are best displayed on the boulder and feeling like they take away from the experience of the sacred space, but I suppose that depends on each person's unique experiences, memories, and attitudes toward the space.
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