Ghost Trees

Ghost Trees are created with sumi ink, a medium made with soot. Echoing my vision of capturing the diverse effects of wildfires, sumi ink does a beautiful job of recreating fire, smoke and ash dust. Starting with white oil pastel as a base, my painting process involved wetting the paper and adding the sumi ink gradually. Similar to how a wildfire spreads across a forest, the sumi ink navigated its own course across the paper, leaving paths of soot in its wake to reveal images of black and white burnt tree skeletons.

The sculptural pieces in this series are an ode to dead trees left standing. My pieces are crafted from sumi ink, painted twigs, and embroidery thread on Bristol paper. The sumi ink rubbed twigs capture the essence of burnt bark, while the sumi ink on paper display unique designs that evoke the chaos of a wildfire’s course and the barren remnants of the aftermath.