Pictures and Politics in Point Reyes
Kristin Bartus, Overheard Column, Pacific Sun 8/3/04
I’m always on the lookout for stories that require me to drive out to West Marin. Can you blame me? The wide open, pastoral environs are a pretty nice setting to “work” in. This week, I was also hoping to take a little break from covering all of the political hoo-ha. I found a winner. Inverness artists Richard Blair and Kathleen Goodwin, creators of the gorgeous photography book, Point Reyes Visions, has just gotten their new book back from the printer. Spending an afternoon by the sea looking at beautiful pictures seemed about as far from politics as I could get.
What was I thinking? Trying to avoid politics in Marin during this vehement election season is like trying to avoid stepping in doggie doo on the streets of Mill Valley–no matter how conscientious you are, you’re always going to end up with at least a toe in it. I did in fact spend a relaxing afternoon by the Pacific, but the fog was blocking the ocean view from Blair and Goodwin’s home/studio. And while the photos were impressive and a lovely distraction, come to find out, the state of politics was a major reason the two decided to publish their books in the first place.
Blair and Goodwin, who married in 1978 after meeting in Berkeley, have lived in the Inverness area since 1987. After the big fire of 1995, they spent the next four years working to self-publish Point Reyes Visions. They hoped their museum quality book would open peoples eyes to the area’s beauty, and in turn, motivate readers to appreciate our national parks and protect the environment. Point Reyes Visions became a Bay Area bestseller, but since to 2000 election, the state of the environment has become even more precarious.
Enter Margaret Grade, owner of Manka’s Inverness Lodge had noted the Blair and Goodwin that the gourmands who traveled to Inverness to experience Manka’s fantastic feasts often knew little about the Point Reyes area. She thought that it would be great to have a small guidebook that she could offer her guests and perhaps inspire them to explore the area further. The 5-by-7 inch Point Reyes Visions Guidebook grew out of Grade’s idea.
The slim, 80 page book, which slips easily into a backpack, features stunning photographs of Point Reyes sites as well as factual information and basic directions for potential visitors. It includes a handy foldout map that tucks into the back of the book. With it’s high quality photos and design, the Point Reyes Visions Guidebook is ideal for casual adventurers who also want a nice keepsake.
“We think by encouraging people to go to parks, it’s a way to hit people over the head with how beautiful things are, so maybe they’ll become environmentalists and maybe vote Bush out,” Blair says unabashedly.
But the books are more than about politics. Goodwin adds, “We think it’s really important that people get out and become sane again by getting out more in nature.”
Politics and pleasure–now that’s a combo I can get behind.
Point Reyes Guidebook,
Reviewed by Pamela Michael in the Point Reyes Light
Imagine if Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keefe had published a guidebook to their beloved Taos and its high contrast, sun-bleached environs. If they had (oh, if only they had) the book would probably look quite a bit like the newest collaboration from another dynamic husband and wife duo, Richard Blair and Kathleen Goodwin, the Point Reyes Visions Guidebook. The New Mexico desert, of course, is nothing like the wet and windswept coast of West Marin, so skillfully rendered in photos, evocative text and a painting or two by Blair and Goodwin, but the books and their creators share a keen sense of beauty and an abiding immersion in place.
Richard and Kathleen, NYC and South African transplants respectively, have been photographing, painting and exploring Point Reyes for over twenty years; they’ve lived on Inverness Ridge since 1987. From their Drake’s View home (built from downed trees milled on-site after the catastrophic 1995 fire) and new art studio they have produced a companion volume to their 2001 bestseller, Point Reyes Visions. It’s every bit as unique, tasty and heartfelt as the art book that inspired it.
This new, pocket-fitting 5X7-inch guidebook has been crafted with the same loving care and snazzy design acumen that made Point Reyes Visions such a hit with visitors and residents alike. Lush duotone photographs depict West Marin’s beaches, trails, wildlife, flora and its many moods. The text is informative, personal and filled with tips (best places to view a sunset, watch whales, or take a morning walk, for instance) that come only with years of paying attention. Aside from hiking, camping and beachcombing information, the guidebook also has sections on places to take your dog, to picnic, or kayak, and much, much more. One of my favorite features is the nifty, waterproof, full-color trail map that fits into a little pocket inside the back cover. Indispensable, irresistible, and home-grown, you’ll love this book.
Writer and radio producer Pamela Michael is the executive director and co-founder (with Robert Hass) of River of Words, a non-profit organization that promotes environmental and art education. She is also the travel editor for KPFA Radio and a member of Wild Writing Women. Her books include The Gift of Rivers, River of Words: Images and Poetry in Praise ofWater, and several others. She lives on the morning side of Mt. Diablo.