by Steve Harrison

What a difference a day makes. Last night we were packing up the cars, worried about a possible evacuation order. Today clear skies and good smelling air. Of course, the threat is not gone; it just passed us by for now. Homes have been lost in Wrightwood and Mt. Baldy Village, lives forever altered.

Last night, as we were packing up, deciding what we should take and what we wanted to save in case of disaster, it was indeed surreal. There was no smell of smoke. The air was still. There was no ominous red glow, nothing like the Grand Prix Fire of 2003. Still, we used the time to prioritize our packing, load the cars, knowing that if there was a knock in the middle of the night, it would take time to get our aging bodies and Max, the dachshund, out of the house and into the cars.

Perspective is an interesting thing, and it can change in an instant, as well as over one’s lifetime. Struggling to get to the “top” —  which is different for everyone — changes your view. You climb a mountain and you can see so much more, not always clearly, but the vista is vast compared to starting out at the bottom. Seeing the scope of the Bridge Fire from the Whole Foods parking lot on Base Line Road, rather than from our little east facing window where Potato Mountain and Ontario Peak above block our view, made me realize it was much bigger than I thought.

New views

Aging can give us a broader perspective or a rigid, narrowed view, based on our experience. I certainly feel more secure in my skin than I ever have at 68, but there is much less that that skin wants to do. I envy artists, thinkers, and writers who are able to consider views not necessarily comfortable or immediately advantageous to their popularity or bank account. Most of us are too busy worrying about navigating our day or the grocery store parking lot to think big thoughts.

“Phil Dike: A Bird’s Eye View,” currently up at Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, is an impressive show. In the early 20th century Dike was able to catapult his eye to take in a bird’s panorama of seashores and foothills. We take this for granted now. Think of all the realtors and even Courier photographers who, with the aid of drones, are able to give us a completely different perspective of our little town. I’m sure I’m not the only one who tries to spot our house in some of the footage and photos. The photos those mini aircraft (now available now at nearly all electronic stores) provide show our connection to our topography, our neighbors, and Claremont as a whole. It’s a 21st century perspective to be sure.

Dike’s sweeping vistas were had by hiking a trail to a mountain top, or climbing aboard a rickety airplane. They were views available to but an adventurous few, but the result — his paintings — astounded many. It’s what art is able to do, though often these new perspectives are met with criticism, suspicion, even condemnation. As far as I know, Dike was undeterred by these small-minded responses and professional jealousies.

Travel, education, and life experience all add to a broader view, allowing for a more enlightened ability to make decisions, move forward, create, and evolve. A trip to the therapist’s office can be a shortcut to these more time consuming ways of gathering insight. A good book might provide the same. Art has a way of broadening our view, though it can be dangerous, hence the desire to ban books and deride new forms of creativity. New views come with a price.