In the Heart of the Beast

I was deeply affected by the 2020 wildfires in the Angeles Forest, just a few miles from my home, which destroyed over 115,000 acres of wilderness.   The images from this conflagration were simultaneously exquisitely beautiful and profoundly devastating.   I grieved for the overwhelming destruction of this natural wilderness and for the humans and wildlife who lost their homes and their lives. 

This work was created by applying shellac over an encaustic background, and then “painting” with an open flame torch.   As the shellac burned and separated, I moved and manipulated it with fire to create the lacy patterns.  Multiple layers of wax and different colors of shellac are used to create depth in this imagined landscape of charred trees, smoke, and embers.   

Creating art through flame and burning seemed a fitting tribute and commemoration for this tragedy.