Oil on Linen
Twenty One by Thirty Four Inches
May 2022
In May of 2022 the Black Fire started near Diamond Creek in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. I was beyond distraught about the burning of this area as it is a place near and close to our hearts. I painted this painting in the first few days of the fire as I watched the daily afternoon plumes blot of the sun and dirty the sky.
Fire is an important and natural part of the ecosystem but the fires we have today are monsters fueled by our changing climate and destructive beyond imagination. They are a reality of our modern world and it is hard to come to terms with the simple fact that I will watch many beloved wilderness burn every year for the rest of my life.