Fire's Aftermath

One of my recurring childhood nightmares was of fire, due to the wildfires that occasionally swept the vast woodlands around my childhood home and my father’s role in battling them. Eleven years in California brought experiences of fires of unimaginable intensity and magnitude that have left their mark on my psyche. In the aftermath of one such fire, I walked my usual commuter pathways collecting seed pods, wings, dehydrated vegetation, nests, and other fire detritus that caught my eye. Drawing them on plates and carving woodblocks from trees killed by the fire, as the earth slowly regenerated, provided psychic healing.