Salvation Mountain

April 19, 2011

I found someone who inspires me. His name is Leonard Knight. A dry-skinned, whispy-haired, western version of Howard Finster. He lives near the town of Niland in the desert of Southern California. This is where he built Salvation Mountain.

Salvation Mountain is a man-made mountain of folk art. It proclaims that GOD IS LOVE. It is made out of hay bales covered with concrete, adobe, trees, found objects and a lot of paint. He has been painting his message in his “folk” style for close to 30 years. I first heard of Mr. Knight in the movie, Into the Wild. He made a brief cameo appearance. I had been thinking of him for some reason and yesterday decided to find out more about him. I found many photos and articles about him online. His story is a great one.

He lives in a small cabin on a flat bed truck on the side of the road next to an old dead scraggly tree. No power or air condition or water. From what I have read he does not own the land he lives on but it is near an area called The Slabs where many folks reside. It used to be Camp Dunlap during World War II; old unregulated government land. People just live there; without any water or electricity. It is a make-shift town of free spirits.

Salvation Mountain really appeals to me. I agree with the message. I love the art. I like the old tan desert man’s spirit and his dedication to his message. He is a little crazy and very energetic. He is not typical. He is living his passion. Knight is telling his story and communicating with people around the world through his art and his great attitude. People admire these sorts of things. People are attracted to a little bit of crazy.

I too want to live my passion. I want to go to Salvation Mountain and meet Leonard Knight. I would like to ask him what made him decide one day that he was going to live there and create his message. I have always wanted to spend time in the desert. I hope one day to create a body of work that means something to others. I want to build something important. I have always wanted to make a roadside attraction. A giant man or a series of painted signs; a giant horse or a series of big painted windmills. I want people not to know me so much for my art as for what it says. I think the important thing is to create and follow your passion. If you can survive through the transition process I believe you can come out on the other side a better and more alive person.

Thank you, Leonard Knight, for Salvation Mountain.

You can read more about Leonard and Salvation Mountain here and here.

-Kyle


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