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 bring 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.
Expressive Waves at Pacific Grove
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.
Read More →
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.
Read More →
Calle Lillies by John Hopkins Marine Station
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.
Read More →
A Step In Time
Stories
Just like painting a picture, we can expand our horizons and create a vision larger than life, were we take one brushstroke at a time revealing the hidden colors of nature .
I walk along a path illuminated from 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.
Capturing History at Lover’s Point: Where Art Meets Marine Science in Pacific Grove
World-renowned for its rich maritime history, dramatic coastlines, cypress trees, however, few vantage points capture the intersection of art, history, and science quite like the view from Lover’s Point Pacific Grove.
If you stand at eye level near the shoreline, your camera can frame a visual narrative: a detailed bronze statue of a young boy holding a toy sailboat, looking directly across the waters of Monterey Bay toward the Hopkins Marine Station with the hazy silhouettes of distant mountain ranges anchoring the horizon.
Here standing behind a statue of a boy holding a boat with a viewpoint that brings me back to 1892 looking at the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory. We must understand that the ground beneath the statue is hallowed science soil. During this time, Stanford University opened the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory here, 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 →
“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.
Read More →
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 →
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→
On a trail at Pacific Grove, whether you’re a hiker, cyclist, or someone who prefers a peaceful evening under the stars, people genuinely appreciate the natural beauty surrounding them.
If you happen to peer toward the bay, you can see whales feeding near the shore. The Monarch Sanctuary is another place that highlight a variety of life in the area. For a real connection with the sea, Lovers Point is the place to go for picnics, barbecuing, sunbathing, or kayaking.
Walking around town, you’ll be charmed by the colorful Queen Anne cottages lining the streets, with their welcoming porches looking out at the amazing waves of Lovers Point. The town’s calm Victorian style, which tries to keep away from the busyness of nearby Monterey, makes it a peaceful place where you can relax and enjoy a beverage, or snack.
As the evening comes, a traveler wanders down Lighthouse Avenue. The old brick buildings, standing strong for over a hundred years, give off a feeling of nostalgia. The fresh smell of pine needles mixes with the cool sea breeze, creates a magical scent that takes you back in time. Here, history is all around you with protected Monarch sanctuaries, in a town perfectly balanced between the forest and the sea. Read More →
The Evening Coast
The sky is mostly a dark ultramarine blue hue, with translucent white clouds. The upper part of the sky forms cumulus clouds whispering across the sky. Watching the haze as an untouched beach shifted into a glowing effect was remarkably soothing. I imagine the eyes of my students, who have never in their lives see, feel, or hear a fluid, slow continuous motion. A vision that is unforgettable, where I can find a way to translate this image to my students.
Point Pinos →
The Del Monte Forest Sanctuary: Engineering Order From the Woods
Leaving the open coast of Pacific Grove to enter the dense, winding canopies of the Del Monte Forest changes the entire sensory experience of Highway 1. The crashing symphony of the Pacific Ocean suddenly softens, replaced by the hushed, protective stillness of ancient Monterey Pines and dramatic Monterey Cypress trees.
The Columbian Black Tailed Deer foraged towards the shaded sanctuary, I watched the sunlight filter through the dark branches, casting delicate, shifting geometric fractures of light across the forest floor. As an educator, this sudden transition from the bright, chaotic coastline to the quiet, structured woods felt profoundly symbolic. It was the exact environment I needed to solve a critical design challenge for my at-risk students.
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 is there ready to embrace you one breath 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, 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 →
