September and October
at the Mill and Dead Cow Gallery
The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Quake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m. local time. Caused by a slip along the San Andreas Fault, the earthquake lasted approximately 15 seconds and measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale (surface-wave magnitude 7.1). The quake killed 63 people throughout northern California, injured 3,757 people and left some 8,000 people homeless.
The earthquake occurred during the warm-up for the third game of the 1989 World Series, coincidentally featuring both of the Bay Area's Major League Baseball teams, the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants. This was the first major earthquake in America to be broadcast on live television.
The epicenter of the quake was in Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, an unpopulated area in the Santa Cruz Mountains approximately 2–3 miles north of unincorporated Aptos and approximately 10 mi) northeast of Santa Cruz. The quake was named for the nearby Loma Prieta Peak which lies 5 mi to the northeast in Santa Clara County.
We are still looking for photographs of the 1989 EarthQuake in Santa Cruz
I first met Geoff and Jenny Morten in December of 2003 at the ? Gallery on Pacific Avenue. Geoff and Jenny had recently arrived from England and were exploring what Santa Cruz had to offer artistically and culturally. They were excited about their new home and were eager to participate and contribute to the vibrancy of the local art scene. Since then both Geoff and Jenny have certainly done that through their support of our community and the amazing level of craftsmanship and artistic vision that they have shared with all of us. They have had countless exhibitions throughout the county, participated in Open Studios, sat on the Boards of numerous non-profit organizations and in a word have been true friends and supporters to us all.
Through one of Geoffs early Santa Cruz exhibitions, Geoff was introduced to some of the local theater crowd, as the result of several conversations Geoff agreed (I believe he was coerced) to act in his very first play, a Harold Pinter play whom Geoff admired greatly. That was the beginning of an entirely new direction for Geoff that both thrilled and scared him, but yet he continued to act in plays and would be called upon to do many readings.
In the relatively short time that Geoff and Jenny have been in Santa Cruz, their spirit and evidence is everywhere. Geoff and Jenny have often spoken about the generosity of spirit that resides here in Santa Cruz and why this feels like home.
This last Thursday, July 9th Geoff Morten passed away peacefully at his home in La Selva Beach of lung cancer. His wife Jenny and friends Michael and JJ Casserd were with him.
Plans are currently underway for a public service sometime in September.
He was a friend and a brother and I will sorely miss him.
Geoff was a quintessential artist, a brilliant drafts-person, painter, teacher and writer. Below is one of his poems entitled "Drawing" from his book of poems "Dialogues and Conversations".
"A horse is being ridden at walking pace on that hard, smooth sand found
close to the shore line, its hooves making four widely spaced, distinct
imprints.
Breaking into a trot it quickly gathers momentum--the marks merge to
form a single row, not deep now, just grazing the surface--so narrow and
delicate that I wonder how this immense bulk can be supported on such
fine tracery.
The marks have become the equivalence of the experience, completely
described without need for literal description - it has an elegance--and
it has become another example of how I can personally approach drawing".
Geoff Morten
"Dialogues and Conversations"
2004-2006
Kirby Scudder - SCICA
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The Santa Cruz Institute of Contemporary Arts
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