Australia Burning

23" x 27" x 3"

Dyed rattan, wire, burned rattan, waxed linen thread

My wall basket “Australia Burning” resulted from my grief and feeling of helplessness in the face of the destruction and death of billions of animals as a result of the 2019 - 2020 fires in Australia and New Zealand. I believe that we are stewards of animals on this planet, and these losses illustrate our failure to fulfill that duty. However, in the face of this carnage, I also realize that wildfires are often unavoidable and that they can be renewing - fire clears out brush to allow for new regrowth. The animals will once again proliferate. Lessons will have been learned. Creating “Australia Burning” was healing, in that it allowed me to channel my grief and despair into a basket illustrative of the chaos and destruction of the Australasian fires.