In the 1970s, Vija Celmins transitioned into a significant phase of her artistic career, characterized by an intense focus on natural phenomena and meticulous detail. This decade marked a shift from her earlier work depicting everyday objects and wartime imagery to an exploration of the natural world through a photorealistic lens. One of the defining features of Celmins' art during this period is her series of ocean drawings. Beginning in 1968 and continuing through the 1970s, Celmins created detailed graphite drawings based on photographs she took of the Pacific Ocean near her studio in Venice Beach, California. These works are noted for their all-over composition, lacking a horizon line, which immerses the viewer in the texture and movement of the water. Each drawing, painstakingly rendered with layers of graphite, captures the subtle variations and complexity of the ocean's surface, blurring the lines between abstraction and representation (Art21) (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). In addition to her ocean series, Celmins also explored other natural subjects such as the desert floor and the night sky. Her drawings of the desert floor, created with a similar meticulous approach, focus on the intricate details of the barren landscape. These works emphasize texture and pattern, inviting viewers to engage closely with the surface of the paper. Similarly, her night sky drawings, often created using mezzotint and charcoal, depict vast fields of stars with precise detail. These pieces highlight the delicate interplay between light and dark, evoking a sense of depth and infinity (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Another significant work from this period is her "To Fix the Image in Memory" series (1977-1982), which involves casting and painting stones to create nearly identical replicas. This series explores themes of perception, memory, and the nature of representation. By placing the real stones alongside their replicas, Celmins challenges viewers to distinguish between the original and the copy, prompting a deeper consideration of how we perceive and remember objects (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) (Artnet). Celmins' work in the 1970s is a testament to her commitment to detail and her exploration of natural phenomena. Her ability to transform ordinary subjects into profound visual statements through meticulous technique and a contemplative approach continues to be celebrated and studied in the art world today (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) (TheCollector) .