Inspiration: A Wild Coast and Lonely

Inspiration: A Wild Coast and Lonely. . , The Draw of Creative Minds , Wild ocean vistas, sculpted rocks, bold mountains, secluded arroyos, verdant creeks, fog-shrouded redwoods, and the rugged solitude of Big Sur have inspired artists for generations. Writers, poets, photographer, painters, sculptors, architects, scientists, musicians, free thinkers, and spiritual seekers who look to Nature as their Muse have lived and loved here., Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) , Jeffers, a classically trained scholar and epic poet, was one of the first artists to move to the Sur. He and his wife Una were drawn to its wild remoteness, which inspired much of his work. Jeffers built their home - Tor House and Hawk Tower on a windswept promontory using granite boulders gathered from the rocky shore of Carmel Bay. , , Edward Weston (1886-1958) , Weston is widely regarded as one of the most influential American photographers of the 20th century. Many of his best known images include the trees and rocks at Point Lobos, where he lived for many years., Morley Baer (1916-1995) , A sought-after architectural photographer, Baer is also well-known for his images of Garrapata Beach, where he lived from 1965 to 1979. Baer was inspired by Weston and helped print Weston's last portfolios. Baer's photographs illustrate two books of poems by Jeffers., Emile Norman (1918-2009) , Emile Norman was a self-taught artist known for his innovative epoxy resin and glass mosaic murals and his nature-inspired carved wood inlays. He moved to Big Sur in 1946+, where he built a home studio and art gallery., Henry Miller (1891-1980) , A controversial and iconoclastic pioneer in modern American literature, Miller came to Big Sur in 1944 and stayed for twenty years. During that time he wrote his memoir, Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymous Bosch. His book also inspired Beat Generation writers such as Jack Keruoac, who recounted his sojourn in Bixby Canyon in his 1962 novel, Big Sur. The Henry Miller Memorial Librarywas established in the cabin of Miller's close friend, the painter Emil White., Lillian Bos Ross (1898-1959) , Writer and poet Ross and her husband, sculptor Harry Ross, first hiked to Big Sur from San Simeon in 1924 and returned in the 1940s to build a house. Her Big Sure trilogy The Stranger is the story of a 19th century pioneer family. The novel was later made into the movie Zandy's Bride. The lyric "a wild coast and lonely" is from her 1953 folksong Ballad of the South Coast., Building Big Sur , Rugged topography and limited access to materials made the early architecture of Big Sur unique. It reflected the region's bold independent character, and the creativity and the resourcefulness of its designers and builders. , , Stone House , Editor, writer, and poet, Henry Anderson Lafler (1878-1935) wanted to start a Bohemian colony in Big Sur. He first lived on his ridge-top property inside a hollowed-out redwood tree filled with his favorite books. In 1924 he asked stone mason Juan Ortega and sculptor Harry Ross to build a house made of local white marble and redwood. Stone House became one of Big Sur's first artists' hangouts - visited by Jack London John Steinbeck, and Robinson Jeffers., Deetjen's Big Sur Inn , In the 1930s Norwegian immigrant Helmuth Deetjen (1892-1972) and his wife Helen Haight lived in a tent beside Castro Canyon Creek. In 1936 he bought a portion of the Castro Ranch and built a large barn with reclaimed materials. from Monterey's Cannery Row. In 1939 the barn was leased by Barbara Blake, who created an English decor restaurant. Over the years Norwegian-style cottages were added using locally milled redwood to house adventurous travelers who came to Big Sur., Nepenthe , The aura of Big Sur is epitomized by the light-filled glass and heavy timber architecture of the cliffside structure called Nepenthe, which was built in 1947 adjacent to a modest log cabin. Orson Wells and Rita Hayworth briefly owned the cabin, and it was rented for a time by Henry Miller. Property owners Bill and Lolly Fassett envisioned a restaurant open to the sea air, with a grand terrace for dancing. Nepenthe was constructed by Big Sur locals Frank and Walter Trotter using adobe cement and native redwood from nearby canyons., Wild Bird , In 1957, Nathaniel Owings, founding partner of the influential architecture firm, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, collaborated with Carmel architect Mark Mills (1921-2007) to design a home for himself and his wife, noted environmentalist Margaret Owings. Their home, Wild Bird, merged Midcentury Modern trends of bold geometric shapes and wide expanses of glass with local materials - including salvaged redwood timbers from the old Torre Canyon Bridge. Legendary photographer Ansel Adams called Mills "an authentic genius." Designing primarily along Big Sur Coast, Mills was an experimental architect known for his use of organic forms and indigenous materials, integrated into the natural landscape.