Chapter leader among San Gabriels' first artist in residence

Steve Anderson, an Angeles Chapter leader and co-chair of the Camera Committee, has been selected as an artist-in-residence for the Angeles National Forest and the newly minted San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. What does that mean?

It means Anderson will continue to be passionate about the local mountains and share his enthusiasm with others. "I think it is the job of everyone who enjoys our local mountains and forests to pass along the need to protect them as well as enjoy them, as is written in the Sierra Club motto," he says.

Ponderosa pines and rabbit brush. Credit: All photographs copyright Steve Anderson

Anderson completed a residency stint from July 19 to 26 at the Crystal Lake Recreational Area above Azusa, a little-trafficked area where you can hike to Mt. Baden Powell and other parts of the forest's back country. "It was a good experience and I already miss the quiet it provided me," he says.

Sunset Ridge above the Crystal Lake area in the San Gabriel Mountains.

“I derive my energy and enthusiasm from nature and from things that tell stories. I give back what I absorb in my encounters with the natural world with images that I hope define the moment and inspire the viewer. It is never just one thing that touches me when I try to capture a moment, but always a vast array of emotional and photographic textures," says in describing his work.

Some national parks and forests in the U.S. offer artist-in-residence programs for painters, writers, poets, weavers, musicians, photographers, sculptors, dancers, etc. The idea is for these artists to promote the endless opportunities in nature -- and a chance to incorporate these places into their work which they in turn share with the public.

Pines in the snow, atop Winston Peak.

Anderson, who has volunteered for the Forest Service for six years, has long used the mountains as his muse. He published a photography book "My Time in the San Gabriel" and presented a show for the Forest Committee called "Photographing the San Gabriels."

The San Gabriel Mountains may grow in stature from its new monument status, and these stewards may provide the framework on how best to take it all in.

Anderson's photographic work spans from the front range to the back country of L.A.'s least-known sprawling backyard. Seventeen million Southern Californians live within a 90-minute drive of the 350,000-acre monument. President Obama designated the new national parkland in October. It's also home to endangered species like Nelson's bighorn sheep, mountain yellow-legged frogs and Santa Ana suckers, a river fish.

Want to know more?

Steve Anderson displays one of his photographs.

You may reach Steve Anderson via e-mail at steveanderson1138@msn.com and/or come to a Camera Committee meeting on the second Monday of each month (excluding August).

To see more of his work, Anderson posts his photographs here. His work also will be on display at the 52nd Annual Celebrate the Arts Show at Monrovia Library Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 26 and 27.

You may preview/buy his books here: "My Time in the San Gabriel" and "My Time in the Sierra."

An additional book about the San Gabriels was created by the Angeles Chapter; you may preview/buy "Southern California Mountain Country: Places John Muir Walked and Places He Would Have Loved to Know."

If you want to hike to the places you see in these books, the Angeles Chapter offers thousands of opportunities each year. Check out our Schedule of Activities to find out more.

Learn more about Southern California's newest national monument in "What's included in the new San Gabriel Mountain National Monument?"