Page 43 - Flathead Beacon // 8.13.14

mate change is happening – it obvi- ously is according to him – but rather to bear artistic witness to these frag- ile gems of nature through 18” by 24” drawings, using only two different graphite pencils.
He said he wants future genera- tions to see the beauty of the glaciers in his drawings, even if they can never enjoy the originals in person. But he also hopes that his project will raise awareness.
“Most people don’t even know there are glaciers in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, let alone where they are or how to get there,” he said.
He plans on using his drawings as an emotional counterpoint to all the science that has already explained cli- mate change and present an affecting vision of what could be lost in the near future.
To Marquis, being there is key.
“I want to see each of these gla- ciers with my own eyes, feel their cold with my fingers, experience their presence with my body and breathe the chilled mountain air surrounding
them,” he said.
Scientists in Glacier National Park
have estimated the park’s remaining glaciers will be gone by 2020.
To reach the more remote glaciers, Marquis often hikes up to a nearby lake, camps the night and makes his way up to the glacier the following day
with his Australian shepherd, Mylah. He spends three to four hours in front of the glacier, capturing the different angles and details in a couple of draw- ings that he then completes when he returns to camp.
He has already hiked up to eight glaciers so far this summer, and al- though he often has to hike off trail in very remote and steep mountains, he hasn’t had any major incidents.
He has grown intimately familiar with these areas and takes inspiration from the words of author and natural- ist Doug Peacock: “Go bear witness in your own backyard, because you know it better than anyone else.”
Although he will spend plenty of time in Glacier National Park, the fo- cal point of the project lies elsewhere, in the lesser-known mountains of the Mission Mountain Wilderness, Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Absaro- ka Beartooth Wilderness.
Drawing is the perfect medium for Marquis because it combines the pre- cision of photography with the elastic- ity of perspective of painting. He also didn’t want to carry an easel up the mountains. He described his draw- ings as being detailed without being fully realistic, expressionist without being abstract.
Drawing also just feels right, he said.
“Dragging graphite upon paper re-
Jonathan Marquis. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
minds me of the glaciers making their
own marks upon the landscape,” he said.
With 60 glaciers to visit and a short summer season in which he can climb the mountains and see the landforms up close, Marquis expects the project to take four to five years to complete. Once the drawings are finished, he hopes to showcase them in exhibitions both locally and outside Montana. He
also wants to make a coffee table book of the project and produce a short documentary of it so that the work is available in as many different media as possible.
Ultimately, Marquis is an artist who wants to make sure his grand- kids can appreciate Montana’s gla- ciers even if they can no longer hike to them.
[email protected]
Northwest Montana’s Best Kept Golf Secret!
$10
OFF 18 HOLES
$5
OFF 9 HOLES
Tucked at the base of the Cabinet Mountains lies true Montana Golf. Cabinet View Golf Club is a majestic, 18 hole golf course with spectacular scenery and breathtaking views of
the Cabinet Mountains. Come enjoy our newly redesigned 18 holes in a beautiful wilderness setting.
458 Cabinet View Road • Libby, MT 59923 • 406.293.7332
www.golflibby.com
New Hope Medicine
Medical Marijuana Cards Licensed Montana Physicians New Patients and Walk-ins Welcome!
Summer Discount $125
Bring in this ad and become eligible to win a “state of the art” vaporizer or grinder.
Call Today for More Info • (406) 393-2098
7212 Hwy 93 S., Lakeside
Located behind the Spinnaker Bar. Look for the Water sports sign on the west side of Highway 93
Phone: 406-844-2188 Mobile: 406-270-2927 www.lakesideskisports.com [email protected]
FLATHEADBEACON.COM ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT AUGUST 13, 2014 | 43
R
4
e
1
/
g
1
u
3
l
/
a
0
r
1
d
h
a
g
u
i
l
o
y
r
h
t
r
a
d
i
l
t
a
e
V
.
-
p
u
o
r
p
g
n
i
e
r
p
e
r
s
o
n