Tony Foster, From Mather Pass to Pinchot Pass, 1986  |  Watercolor and graphite on paper, mixed media  |  22 x 46 1/2 in.  |  1986.1.17 — Tony Foster, *From Mather Pass to Pinchot Pass*, 1986 | Watercolor and graphite on paper, mixed media | 22 x 46 1/2 in. | 1986.1.17

Tony Foster Journey 3 | 1986–87 | 41 artworks

John Muir’s High Sierra: A Watercolour Diary

Painting locations: Sierra Nevada, California

Continuing his work in America, Tony Foster followed in the footsteps of nineteenth-century naturalist and conservationist John Muir. For his journey John Muir’s High Sierra, Foster hiked the Sierra Nevada throughout the Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Moved by the region’s natural beauty, Muir realized that without intervention such wilderness would be lost. Foster’s journey pays homage to Muir’s legacy and to the US National Park Service, whose creation owes much to the naturalist. Foster’s paintings brilliantly capture the granite boulders, giant evergreens, and placid lakes of this unique environment. In addition, John Muir’s High Sierra helped reignite interest in Muir in Scotland, his place of origin, tying both continents together through the man’s legacy.

Painting locations

United States
- Forester Pass, Sierra Nevada, California
- Pinchot Pass, Sierra Nevada, California
- Pyramid Mountain, Sierra Nevada, California
- Mammoth Mountain, Sierra Nevada, California
- South Lake Bishop Pass, Sierra Nevada, California
- Yosemite, Sierra Nevada, California
- Whitney Portal, Sierra Nevada, California