[Bryan]

I always keep my eyes out for local artists who venture into the hills/mountains for inspiration. Below is a link to a local artist named Chris Potter who does some great paintings. I learned about Chris' art while looking at a friends online photo album from a backpacking trip they took across the Sierra Madre and Sisquoc. Within one of the photos there was a guy (Chris) with an easel setup painting a scene out along the potreros, pretty far out there to lug all that gear. So I asked my friend what that was all about. It turns out that Chris backpacks with all his art supplies and paints along the trail when inspiration hits. I really liked seeing that and thought it would be good to share, not to mention he has skills:

http://chrispotterart.blogspot.com/search/label/available

This thread could actually be a place where we post links to other artists as well. Anyone else out there worth mentioning...??

[Rokrover]

Well of course there’s the famous sculptor John Cody who not only ventured into the mountains but also built a homestead there in the lower Manzana and raised a family while sculpting the local serpentine. The San Rafael Mountains provide his preferred stone and serve as inspiration for many wildlife sculptures. John spends part of his time in Los Olivos teaching sculpting but prefers the solitude of the mountains. He has also helped many lost or exhausted hikers in the Sisquoc / Manzana region and played a role in saving the Manzana Schoolhouse during the La Brea fire. You can’t get more local and involved than that.

Now time to get inspired and work on my photography as art.