CHARLES A. FRIES (1854-1940)
Cuyamaca Peak (1, 986 m- 6,515 ft)
United States of America (California)
In Cuyamaca Peak, 1914, oil on canvas, The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA)
The mountain
Cuyamaca Peak (1, 986 m- 6,515 ft) is a mountain peak of the Cuyamaca Mountains range, in San Diego County, southern California. Its summit is the second highest point in San Diego County, after Hot Springs Mountain. Cuyamaca Peak is located roughly 40 miles (64 km) from the Pacific Ocean, within Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. It is east of the city of San Diego and southwest of Julian.
A popular 3.5-mile (5.6 km) year round hike to the summit of Cuyamaca leads from the Paso Picacho Campground, starting at about 5,000 feet (1,500 m).
Snows in winter are common above 5,000 feet (1,500 m) and surrounding regions in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.
The significant elevation of Cuyamaca relative to its surrounding landscape catches Pacific moisture easily, forming clouds which are forced to release their moisture in order to pass East, resulting in average annual precipitation between 20 and 32 inches.
On clear days visibility from the summit of Cuyamaca Peak can range from 60–100 miles (97–161 km) in nearly every direction. To the west, the Pacific Ocean, the Coronado Islands of Mexico, the coast line of San Diego County, Viejas Mountain, and El Cajon Mountain can be seen.
Looking north, one can see 6,140-foot (1,870 m) Palomar Mountain among the ridge of Palomar Mountains. On very clear days 8,716-foot (2,657 m) Toro Peak in the Santa Rosas and the San Jacintos are visible. Closer yet is Volcan Mountain slightly to the northeast, the former gold rush town of Julian lying in front. Directly north are the closest summits, Middle and North Peaks.
Directly east is the Anza Borrego Desert and the Laguna Mountains, including Whale Peak. Far beyond is the Salton Sea. To the south are Lyons Peak and Lawson Peak; further yet and to the southeast are Mexican border mountains such as Table Top Mountain and the Sierra de Juбrez.
During summer, Bracken Ferns, a variety of wildflowers and native bunchgrasses dominate mountain meadows and the forest floor. Prior to the Cedar Fire, Black oaks once lit up the mountain
In October 2003, the Cedar Fire, the largest fire in recorded California history, burned the once abundant White Fir (Abies concolor), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), Jeffrey Pine, Coulter Pine, Sugar Pine, and Black oak (Quercus kelloggii) that once lined the mountain. Small seedlings of new White fir, Sugar Pine, Coulter Pine, Jeffrey Pine, and Incense Cedar were seen within a year of the Cedar Fire, and were thriving as saplings by 2007, an example of fire ecology.
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The painter
Charles Arthur Fries, illustrator, painter and teacher, was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. Raised in Cincinnati, he attended the Art Academy there at a time when it was considered one of the most notable in the United States. Among his fellow students were J. H. Twachtman, Robert Blumen, and Kenyon Cox. After marrying in 1887, he moved his studio to New York City where he was popular as an illustrator and portraitist while living on a farm in Vermont. In 1896 the Fries family headed west and, upon arriving in Southern California, temporarily lived in the ruins of the unrestored mission at San Juan Capistrano. The artist established himself in San Diego in 1897. Sporting a Van Dyke beard and flowing black bow tie, he was often seen riding about San Diego on his bicycle with painting gear in its basket. Fries was later referred to as the “Dean of San Diego Painters”. He devoted his canvases to landscape painting and focused on the desert, the mountains, and eucalyptus trees. His works are sound in craftsmanship and bright in atmospheric light.
A memorial exhibition was held at the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego in 1941, one year after his death. Charles Arthur Fries was a member: San Diego Art Guild; Laguna Beach AA; La Jolla AA; Calif. Art Club; San Diego Contemporary Artists. Exhibited: California State Fair, 1930; California Pacific International Exposition, San Diego 1935; GGIE, 1939, Awards: silver medal, Seattle Fine Arts Society, 1911; silver medal, Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, 1915.
His works are held by the San Diego Museum of Art and the San Diego History Center.
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