The Cleanest Line

Beyond and Back: Artist, Emilie Lee

by Jeff Johnson

The first time I met Emilie was a few years ago in Joshua Tree. She was living in a van with her boyfriend; painting, climbing, dumpster-diving, and working evenings at the Crossroads Café. There was this unique air about her. She seemed very calm and her movements were smooth, as if she were perpetually on run-out slabs. But I could see in her eyes that her mind was full of continuous thought. It wasn’t till a few months later, when I saw her beautiful journals published in Alpinist magazine, that I realized she was an artist. This explained what I saw in her eyes.

Recently, I was shooting photos in Colorado. I ran into Emilie and her friends in Boulder. After a short day of climbing I asked if I could shoot photos of her in her studio. She said it was a mess because she was in the middle of moving to Utah. We went anyway.

Situated on the flat outskirts of Boulder, Emilie’s studio was a small, non-descript room in a non-descript building. The surroundings were cold, faceless. Inside were piles of clothes, climbing gear, her dog, and hovering over the clutter like a bright sun rising from clouds, was her art. She handled her work like it was someone’s life -- if she dropped a piece the memory would be gone forever...

Beyond and Back

by Jeff Johnson

Editor's note: We're stoked to introduce a new feature on The Cleanest Line from Bend to Baja author/photographer Jeff Johnson. Jeff's work has appeared in The Surfer’s Journal, Surfer’s Path, Alpinist, Surfing, Surfer and the Patagonia catalog. When we don't have him chained to a desk at Pat. HQ in Ventura, Jeff wanders the planet looking for good surf, good climbing and the perfect photo. Prints of his photographs are available through his Web site: jeffjohnsonstories.com. Stay tuned for more Beyond and Back stories from Jeff.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liz and Belinda

This is one of my favorite photographs from the last trip we did together. This is Liz Clark (left) and Belinda Baggs (right). They are anchored in the Osa Peninsula, south Costa Rica. Liz is teaching Belinda some of the basics of sailing: pulling the anchor, running the windless, hoisting sails, etc. Three guys in a panga motor up and circle the boat. The guy driving starts yelling to Liz saying that his friend knows her. “Alright”, she says, “cool.” It’s obvious that the guy is drunk, wasted even. “I’ll bring him by!” he yells as he catches himself before falling overboard backward. “Cool,” says Liz.

An hour or so later I see the panga coming back through the moorings. There is a new guy astride the gunwales. He’s got his shirt off. He’s running his hands through his hair, slicking it back, and assessing the tattoos on his arms. I take a seat at the other end of the boat. I’m close enough to the girls if they should need any help and far enough away so as to not be a threat to the guys in the panga (I want to give this guy all the room he needs)...