DESCRIPTION

The Monterey County coastline stands out as one of Northern California's most compelling places. Over millions of years, tectonic activity has created a deep-ocean habitat here, supporting a wide range of marine life. The San Andreas Fault has pushed up the rugged rocks, making this coastline one of the most complex natural landscapes. The title plays on the tension between the solidity of rock and the restless forces from underground and the Pacific Ocean.

Rocks and coastal scrubland fill the foreground, forming a patchwork of ochre, russet, and olive. A faint sandy path winds through the scene. The dark, angular rocks are marked with lichen. Behind them, the Pacific stretches out, and above, the sunset sky glows with pink and mauve.

The colors are richer and warmer than the title might suggest. This coastline is not gray or forbidding — it is full of color, even in the rocks. Herriott conveys the solid feel of the rocks through thick, textured brushstrokes. In contrast, the sky is painted with a thin wash of oil over a colored base, allowing viewers to see the panel beneath.

Exhibited in Lumens, Sally Herriott's solo exhibition in Stockholm in 2025, and at the Grünewaldvillan, Saltsjöbaden, 2026.