Garden of the Gods

Fanny Adele Watson

Adele Watson was a close friend of poet - artist Kahlil Gibran and responded to symbolism and the power of nature. Her trip to Zion National Park in 1930 was transformative for her work. Watson did a series of dramatic mountainscapes in the Four Corners section of the US (the intersection of Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico). There are a number of National Parks in this area: Zion, Bryce, Arches, Mesa Verde, and the Grand Canyon.

This large black and white lithograph is of the "Garden of the Gods" a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, US. The image is almost anthropomorphic, many viewers search her images for figures interwoven in the composition.

Wikipedia notes: The Garden of the Gods' red rock formations were created during a geological upheaval along a natural fault line millions of years ago. Archaeological evidence shows that prehistoric people visited Garden of the Gods about 1330 BC. At about 250 BC, Native American people camped in the park; they are believed to have been attracted to wildlife and plant life in the area and used overhangs created by the rocks for shelter. Many native peoples have reported a connection to Garden of the Gods...