Los Angeles River art painting 71, "Reversing Tide"
In what direction does the Los Angeles River flow? That depends on the time of day. Just south of the Willow Street Bridge, the Los Angeles River concrete bottom terminates and becomes one of native soil and cobble. Near this point a concrete trough separates the natural portion of the river from the concrete portion. To the south of this trough, the river’s elevation is the same as sea level and fluctuates with the tides of the Pacific Ocean. To the north of this trough, the river’s elevation is fixed at the elevation of the concrete river bottom. During high tide, incoming currents from the San Pedro Bay travel up the river over this trough reversing the river’s direction of flow from south to north bringing nutrients and micro-organisms on which birds and other life feed.
In this painting, the 71st of the series, migratory birds, Seagulls and other waterfowl gather in the shallow water of this concrete trough searching for their next meal. Mexican Fan Palms, a non-native palm tree species originally from Baja California widely planted throughout the Los Angeles basin, give an iconic southern California feel to the scene, their spent fronds hanging down dressing their slender trunks in skirts that sway in the ocean breeze. Bright afternoon sunshine reflects off the river’s surface de-saturating colors turning the image into a tonalist study of pewter, ocher and burgundy.
This painting is part of a multi-year project by the artist titled “Painting a Love Letter to the River of Angels” depicting the unexpected beauty of the world’s longest fully-channelized navigable waterway.
#californiaartclub frogtownarts #folar #southgatemuseum #paramount #selaartsfest #iamthelariver #lariver #lariverx #losangelesriver #longbeach #losangeles #socal #thisisla #lalaw #lalawyer #squareigallery #ilovela #johnkosta #johnkosta.com
Button