woven wildfire

This series examines wildfires before, during, and after the fire. The images of vegetation, smoke, fire, blackened earth, and ash are sourced mainly from the artist’s friends who work as fire fighters for the Nation Forrest Service. Each finished painting is created by painting smaller works on paper, then cutting them into pieces and arranging them into a single, cohesive piece. The process of cutting and rearranging abstracts each individual image, but allows them to be used as building blocks to create something that is still distinctively reminiscent of the original subject matter. My process of deconstructing and reconstructing paintings intentionally reflects the cyclical nature of wildfires. 

The embroidered pieces, although an entirely different material, are created in a similar way. Each piece is created by thousands of tiny, individual stitches that come together to create an image. Stretching the fabric over a square frame calls back to painting, while displaying the squares together deepens the meaning of each separate image.  

The final pieces evoke textiles: quilts, weavings, and embroidery; techniques that have been labeled “women’s work” for centuries. I have a strong personal connection to this series, not only because of the subject, but also the techniques I used are inspired by my grandmother’s quilts.