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Grizzly Giant, Mariposa, California

Grizzly Giant, Mariposa, California

Regular price £350.00
Regular price Sale price £350.00
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Original/print/digital

About the Grizzly Giant

  • An original painting in watercolour and acrylic inks. Size 395mm x 595mm.

The Grizzly Giant at Mariposa Grove, California is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and stands a magnificent 63.7ms (209 feet) high. Its circumference at ground level is 29 ms! That's a mighty tree! Despite those impressive vital statistics, it's only the world's 25th tallest tree.

As well The Grizzly Giant's sheer bulk, its age is impressive too - somewhere between 1,900 and 2,400 years old.

When I was a tiny girl in 1967 and living in California, we visited the big trees at Mariposa Grove. Although I don't remember this tree specifically, I do remember the smell of the pines, being surrounded by massive trees, and the sequoias' spongy soft bark.

My father, who was a botanist, collected some seeds of the giant sequoia and once back in the UK, he set about germinating them. He raised a few seedlings, and the best one was chosen and transplanted into the front garden of our house in Stratford-upon-Avon. In just 25 years it grew so fast and so tall that, with a heavy heart, Dad had it felled as he feared it would fall on the house. He saved section of the trunk and had it made into a table, which I still have.

Big Trees revisited

When I returned to California in September 2018, I was determined to visit the big trees again. They didn't disappoint! Of all the wondrous sights in California, (sea otters, mountains, kelp forests, sealions, deserts, etc) the giant sequoias at Mariposa Grove were the thing that blew me away.

My painting 'Grizzly Giant, Mariposa, California' tries to express something of the what I felt in its presence. How small and insignificant we humans are! I found myself silently welling up. People who believe in gods must feel a similar emotion when they consider their chosen deity. It felt life-affirming and humbling to be in the presence of this ancient and beautiful being.

Tall lodgepole pines rise up beside it, and the forest is alive with birds and animals. I have shown a Steller's jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) and a least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus) of which we saw many! The creatures I have painted are from my husband's photos, which I used as reference material.

John Muir "Nature's Forest Masterpiece"

The quote, Nature's Forest Masterpiece, is from John Muir (1838 – 1914) Scottish-American naturalist, environmental philosopher, and pioneer of the US National Parks. He said:

"The Big Tree (Sequoia gigantea) is Nature's forest masterpiece, and, so far as I know, the greatest of living things."

From "My First Summer in the Sierra, Picturesque California, The Mountains of California, The Yosemite & Our National Parks (Illustrated): Adventure Memoirs, Travel Sketches, Nature Writings and Wilderness Essays”

Shipping and delivery

This website takes orders from UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

If you are not in these countries and you would like to make a purchase, please get in touch with me directly.

Posting your order

Typically, orders for physical products placed after 12pm on Friday, and on Saturday or Sunday will not be posted until Monday at the earliest. I use Royal Mail to dispatch your order.

If you have ordered multiple items, I will try to post everything together. Occasionally, this is not possible, in which case they will be dispatched in separate packages.

Digital files will typically be transferred to customers within 24 hours via email using WeTransfer, the file transfer website.

Buying an original painting? Please choose the tracked option!

UNITED KINGDOM (incl. Channel Islands, Isle of Man)

  • UK Royal Mail second class – 3 to 5 working days (can be longer at busy times of year)
  • UK Royal Mail tracked next day special delivery – next day by 1pm

If you choose a tracked delivery, I will be notified with your Royal Mail tracking number when your parcel has been dispatched.

INTERNATIONAL ORDERS

IMPORTANT! All international orders are shipped duties unpaid. Orders shipped outside of the UK may be subject to customs, taxes and duties. This cost is the responsibility of the customer and is payable on receipt of goods. Please check your local customs tax and duty costs as duties must be paid before the goods are released.

USA and CANADA
Royal Mail International Tracked service (7-14 days)

AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND
Royal Mail International Tracked service (7-14 days)

EUROPE (Rep of Ireland, France, Germany and Denmark only)
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