Rockwell Kent "Wilderness" Centennial Journal

ROCKWELL KENT WILDERNESS CENTENNIAL JOURNAL 100 YEARS LATER by Doug Capra © 2018 Early December 2018 ABOVE -- Kathleen, Hildegarde, the Fox Island Cabin The night of Dec. 5, 1918 the wind rages. “From the northwest it piles into our cove. The windows are coated with salt, and tons of flying water sail in clouds out of the bay hiding the mountains from the base to half their height.” The cabin rafters creak as they bend and Kent’s canvases hanging from them swing wildly back and forth. As chunks of ice fall from the spruce trees, the fierce winds hurl them at the cabin along with rocks from the beach. It’s so noisy that Kent and Rockie just laugh as they lay in bed. As they drift off to sleep, Kent perhaps relaxes with the thought that their first full day back on the island has been productive. They had cut more firewood that day so before bed they just piled some into the stove to keep warm through the tempest. He had painted, written and designed a...

ROCKWELL KENT WILDERNESS CENTENNIAL JOURNAL 100 YEARS LATER by Doug Capra © 2018 Today -- Dec. 9, 2018 – is the kind of day Kent occasional experienced this time of year while on Fox Island. The temperature hovers between ten and twenty degrees. The sea may be relatively calm, but after his recent trip to Seward there’s little need to return. Steamers with mail won’t arrive again for a few more weeks. It’s the kind of day that often arrives after a time of hard and steady rain. It’s the kind of day that raises your hopes, feeds your spirit, and gives you the inspiration to endure life’s hardships. It’s sometimes foreshadowed – as it was last night – by a star-filled sky with a shining moon and occasionally a stunning Aurora or Northern Light’s show. For Kent, days like this also mean more light for his painting. On the gloomy, dark days he’s forced to sketch and work in black and white. Now he can capture the impressive yet subtle and rapidly changing colors of s...