Tehachapi News

Hiking the Tehachapi landscape inspires local artist

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It takes some time to learn about an area and get a feel for the natural rhythms. You can quickly become familiar with a place, but there is no shortcut to truly get to know a region — it takes years of observation in different seasons, under different conditions.

Tehachapi artist Allyson Gray was raised here and she has developed a deep affinity for the local landscape. She is a hiker and runner and has spent countless hours outdoors in all kinds of Tehachapi weather. Her intimate knowledge of her hometown environment is reflected in her exuberant art.

Allyson (“Ally” to many of her friends) creates swirling, vibrant landscapes with her own colorful style that mixes realism and surrealism. Acrylics are her favorite medium and she likes rich, inviting colors.

A biology student at Cal State Bakersfield, Ally is knowledgeable about botany and the local flora and this insight is evident in her paintings — even fanciful interpretations of Tehachapi landscapes include accurate and identifiable flower species.

“The natural world of Tehachapi is my main inspiration,” Ally explains. “I have seen these landscapes under so many varied conditions. Tehachapi is very dynamic — there is such a difference in the seasons.”

Ally has been drawing since she was old enough to hold a pencil and is primarily self-taught.

“I have taken some art classes, but I didn’t learn much that I could apply directly to my work,” Ally says. “I think that an art appreciation class I had was probably the most informative.”

Ally's most useful art experience happened last year when she was one of three local art assistants helping muralist Art Mortimer complete the Monolith mural on the south side of the St. Vincent De Paul building in Downtown Tehachapi.

“I worked with Art Mortimer for a month and that was very educational,” she noted. “It was better than any class.” And she was working in her favorite place: outside.

As an avid hiker, Ally has explored the Tehachapi area and cherishes its diversity.

“Whatever direction you go, there’s always something different to see only a mile or two away,” she notes. “There are so many different microclimates in Tehachapi and I’ve been captivated by that since I was a teenager. I love being outdoors.”

Conveniently for a devoted hiker and outdoors woman, Ally lives in Tehachapi Mountain Park with her longtime partner Stuart Etherton, who is the park caretaker. She regularly hikes to Tehachapi Peak and revisits favorite places.

“Some of the trees I paint are like old friends because I have seen them many times in different seasons,” she says. “I feel like I know them.”

There are many artistic people who gravitate to the natural beauty of the Tehachapi area, but there are far fewer who originate here and know Tehachapi from childhood. Allyson Gray is one of those select few and her work reflects her Tehachapi experience. This young local artist has always been talented and her work keeps evolving and getting stronger.

She is the featured artist for this month at Mama Hillybeans Cafe on Tehachapi Boulevard, and with her own unique style she continues to depict the Tehachapi that she has grown up to know and love.

Have a good week.