Whenever, I visit Pasadena, the City of Roses, I often drive down along the Arroyo Seco and park by the seasonal creek that runs its length. It’s not far from the Rose Bowl and from there I can look up through the big sycamore trees and see the historic Colorado Street Bridge rising so grandly above me.
The area along the Arroyo was the cultural center of the burgeoning city of Pasadena at the turn of the 20th century. Picturesque bungalows still dot the streets that border the canyon and many of the ultimate bungalows designed by Greene & Greene were built overlooking its beauty. The senior architect of the firm, Charles Sumner Greene, even built his own family home carefully placed with views into the gentle wilderness of the Arroyo.*
It’s always quiet there along the Arroyo and through the years I made many sketches of the amazing oaks and gnarly sycamore trees. Warm sunshine and gentle shadows are always inviting. My reward is the occasional sighting of the iconic Colorado Street Bridge, far beyond the green and golden foliage.
(*Bruce Smith: “Greene & Greene: Developing a California Architecture”)
Artist: Yoshiko Yamamoto
Frame size: 15" x 22.5"