Photo Journal

of Monterey County and Light Art

Welcome! I’m Marlene Krueger, an educator, artist, and innovator. My story reveals an imprint between bridging the gap from nature’s beauty and inclusive learning.

During student teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where I’m working on a MFA, I discovered how visual art can focus emotions. It’s from nature that inspired me to design custom kinetic light art devices that brings natural light into classrooms.

This website documents my two-day walking journey along California’s coastline, from Monterey Beach to Salmon Creek. As a teacher of Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Special Education students, I feel traditional learning spaces can be overwhelming. Many students sadly struggle with sensory processing, relaxation, and focus. Because my students hold the world in their hearts differently, I express myself about nature through an immersive, multi-sensory lens. In my site, you’ll find stories that describe the coastline’s appearance, feel, smell, and history.

Through my three hundred word walking stories, vibrant photography, and historical facts, I aim to create a calm, low-anxiety space. I whole-heartedly invite you to join me, even if you’re a student searching for peace, an educator looking for creative ways to engage diverse learners, or a nature lover. May the iridescent colors, coastal mists, and quiet trails help you ground your mind, and discover the healing power of nature.

Along the Coast of Monterey County

Stories

It’s like stepping into a living painting, where dynamic coastlines, nature’s wonders, and historical stories unfold before your eyes from Monterey Beach to Salmon Creek, Big Sur.

Marlene Krueger is on the edge taking a photo behind the scenes of a beach at Pacific Grove, Ca. There's Palm and Cypress trees lined at the horizon of the beach. A house on the left side. Clear blue skies, the water is aquamarine, with some teal blue, and white foam that create an abstract pattern which visitors can interpretate with their own ideals. — The patterns of the waves that make Pacific Grove lively

“A Pacific Grove Afternoon Along the Expressive Waves”

The vast, shifting blue of the bay reminded me that learning shouldn’t be confined to a static desk. It was here, watching the rhythmic pulse of the tide, that I realized at-risk students needed an educational anchor that move with them—sparking the very first blueprint for my kinetic light devices.

Behind the scenes Marlene Krueger takes a shot of a sea other near center surround by teal blue water with tiny bubbles. The sea otter leans against a boulder, looking at the camera behind the scenes. The water is a beautiful rich dark teal blue. — From a Sea Otter’s view

The Sea Forest at the Monterey Bay

Hiking along the Monterey trail, looking out to see the teal blue water, a sea otter from time to time bobble its head to have a look at us. These otters survive harsh environments daily. This view inspired me to build kinetic prototypes that are physically durable yet beautifully intricate, proving that strength and art can coexist.

Marlene Krueger previewing behind the scene next close to the Calle Lilies at the front of the picture that points at the trailing sand towards the John Hopkins Marine Station to the right that faces the harbor seals sunbathing in the sand. — John Hopskins Marine Station

The Calle Lillies at the Beach

Watching a pristine ribbon of water drop endlessly onto an untouched beach shifted my entire engineering approach. My light art devices couldn’t just be static lamps; they needed fluid, continuous motion. The idea of waking by a marine lab reminds me of how we can also research for students in such a way to inspire, to find ways of being with nature.

A Step at a Time

Stories

Just like painting a picture, we can expand our horizons and bring life to our canvas, revealing the vibrant colors of nature one step at a time.

As I walk along a path illuminated by the reflections of the sky, I feel as if I am a part of history on the verge of transitioning into the present.

For centuries, the Rumsen Ohlone people have dreamed along these rocky shores, leaving behind deep shell mounds nestled within the roots of twisted cypress trees. A place where one day a child will find, like the iridescent shells, profound ideas that will shape the present.

Hopkins Seaside Laboratory

I stand behind a statue of a boy holding a boat with a viewpoint that brings me back to 1892 Hopkins Seaside Laboratory. One must understand that the ground beneath the statue is hallowed science soil. In 1892, Stanford University opened the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory here at Lover’s Point (then known to locals as Point Aulon).

Co-founded by Stanford’s first president, David Starr Jordan, it was only the third marine research facility in the entire United States.

Bright Shapes, Bright Future

“Growing up in a ranch when I was six, I’d roam freely through rows of translucent sweet peas glistening from the sun light.

A flood of light beamed, as I picked up one of the translucent pods, as if reassuring me. A connection with nature enveloped me, and the pain I had experienced earlier disappeared.

Since that moment, I’ve been driven by an unwavering desire to recreate that timely experience for others to experience.” Read More →

Professor Don Seiden evaluating Marlene Krueger an innovation

A couple of kayakers seen entering the water from the beach into the Monterey Bay before the sunrise with a hazy mist. — Kayakers launching at Monterey Beach by Marlene Krueger

“The Monterey Morning That Changed How I Teach Light”

The vast, shifting blue of the bay reminded me that learning shouldn’t be confined to a static desk. It was here, watching the rhythmic pulse of the tide, that I realized at-risk students need educational anchors that moved with them—sparking the very first blueprint for new ideas.

Marlene Krueger behind the scenes at Point Lobos State Park, where there is a silhouette of a cypress tree taking half the page of the photo where there is a bright read sunset with some blue in the dark sky. The water reflects the setting sun and sky. — Point Lobos Sunset

The Forest & Sea Edge (Point Lobos)

Walking among the wind-swept Cypress trees clinging stubbornly to the granite cliffs, I saw a mirror for my students. These kids survive harsh environments daily. The moving light inspired me to build kinetic prototypes that are physically durable yet beautifully intricate, proving that strength and art can coexist.

Marlene Krueger sets her camera on the overlook, aiming at a scene with the McWay waterfalls streaming over the turquoise beach on a clear day. Blue skies. There's a palm tree, waterfall over a large rock formation, a cove felled with pebbles, rocks and bushes and boulders. — McWay Falls over the Teal Blue beach

The Icon of Fluidity (McWay Falls)

Watching a pristine ribbon of water drop endlessly onto an untouched beach shifted my entire engineering approach. My light art devices couldn’t just be static lamps; they needed fluid, continuous motion. This waterfall sparked the idea for the internal kinetic gears that keep the classroom lights dancing.

High tides, with seagulls at Monterey, California — High Tide
by Marlene Krueger

“The High Tide That Inspires”

The vast, shifting blue of the bay reminded me that it was here, watching the rhythmic pulse of the tide, that I realized students need an educational anchor that move with them. That spark the very first prototype for projects I can present as a gift for my students who wish to be present in nature.

Read: Blue Waves of the Bay→

Marlene Krueger behind this shot of a Humpback Whale breaching over the ocean very close to the shore. The whale causes a spectacular show with people screaming behind the scenes. The ocean is a nice subtle blue ocean, hazy whitish splashes of foam, land there's a light blue sky at the horizon — Humpback Whale at Sunset

Humpback Whale Breaching at the Monterey Bay

Along the Pacific grove trail, looking out to see the teal blue water, a humpback whale suddenly breached, surprisingly. Its eyes towards us. These whales survive harsh environments daily. In reality, they face mortality.

Read: The Fallen Giant at Hopkins Marine Station: Processing Hidden Burdens →

Here Marlene Krueger is behind the camera taking this scene at Pacific Grove. Here is image that is close to dark at Sunset. The sky has a dark ultramarine blue hue, with translucent white clouds. The upper part of the sky, you see a cumulus cloud whisping across the sky, and the lower clouds are hazy blending with the dark blue ocean below. The sun reflects on the ocean and the ocean has a dark teal blue appearance. It is a beautiful darkish sunset. — The Light of Pacific Grove

The Evening Coast

The sky is mostly a dark ultramarine blue hue, with translucent white clouds. The upper part of the sky are cumulus clouds whispering across the sky. Watching the haze at an untouched beach shifted to a glowing effect that is remarkably soothing. My light art devices would needed to be a fluid, slow continuous motion.

Point Pinos →

At the Summit of Big Sur

Stories

As you climb to the very top of Big Sur, where the Pacific Ocean stretches out below, the breathtaking hues of nature, will embrace you one mountain at a time.

Kinetic Art on Location

High above the Pacific Ocean, Marlene Krueger creates her kinetic art by moving her hands across a translucent canvas. As the leaves of the swaying tree dance and cast shadows, a vibrant mixed media display comes alive. At the same time, the translucent canvas reveals refractive colors, thanks to a motor and filter that bring the piece to life. It’s like a performance in motion!

Marlene Krueger on location on a mountain top over the Pacific Ocean creating, laying out impressions similar to the movement of the shadows of the leaves with a kinetic light device fabricated behind her canvas. — Marlene Krueger on Kinetic Art

Marlene, an innovative contemporary artist, seamlessly blends electronic engineering, kinetic art, and visual illumination in her experiments before presenting a mini version with her students. By bridging the gap between fine art and technical invention, she challenges traditional sensory boundaries through her celebrated experiments with light mechanisms, motorized prisms, and kinetic light. The open coast of Big Sur transforms the sensory experience. The crashing symphony of the Pacific Ocean softens, replaced by the hushed, protective stillness of Sycamore and Monterey Cypress trees. As you walk through this shaded sanctuary, the sunlight filtering through the dark branches casts delicate, shifting geometric fractures of light from the leaves. Read more →