Juniper and Half Dome

Richard Wagener

Richard Wagener grew up in southern California, spending time with his grandfather in remote parts of the desert and up in the Sierra mountain range.

Wagener captures the stunning, open isolation of the Sierra mountain range, where high altitudes keep flora to a minimum - and then only to some of the toughest trees and shrubs known to the West. Juniper trees in the Sierras are often twisted and are much stouter than their coastal and lowland counterparts.

In “Juniper and Half Dome” one such specimen sits on an outcropping of granite on the famed Half Dome formation located in Yosemite National Park. A white band of low lying clouds runs through the center of the backdrop, and a cluster of boulders stands at attention just beyond the tree. The viewer might imagine themselves arriving at this peak, alone among the clear mountain air and occasional bird song, observing the world from one of the most stunning vantage points on earth.

Of note regarding his woodengraving technique is his exclusive use of single-lines to create the composition as opposed to multiple-line carving tools, meaning that each line is carved individually.