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After the Fire
Date
2024
Materials
Rattan, oak, wood beads, acrylic paint, repurposed cat food bags and livestock feed bags
After the Fire represents the regrowth of the Colorado forest after a lightning-caused wildfire. The Sylvan Fire in 2021 devastated an area south of our home near Sylvan Lake State Park and I hiked to the area to witness the damage first-hand. I vowed to create a piece yearly after the fire to illustrate the regrowth of the forest year by year. Fireweed (Chamerion augustifolium) is one of the first plants to colonize after a vegetation disturbance such as a fire. The vibrant beauty of the magenta flowers contrasts with the stark black burned pines in the otherwise denuded landscape. Gradually, other grasses and plants will return. I recognized that wildfires are often unavoidable and that they can be renewing - fire clears out brush to allow for new regrowth. Beauty can and does emerge from disaster.