In early January 2025, Southern California was once again gripped by devastating wildfires. As communities braced for loss and first responders battled the flames on the ground, a familiar sight appeared overhead: the yellow-and-red Super Scoopers, diving low through smoke-filled skies, collecting water from nearby reservoirs, and returning again and again with their precious cargo.
It’s a scene we’ve witnessed many times here in Alaska as well, where Super Scoopers from our Canadian neighbors come to the rescue during our worst fire seasons. With Canada dealing with their own wildfires this summer, I thought it unlikely to see them this summer, but I was wrong. Just yesterday (end of June 2025), I stepped outside and saw two of them taking off from Palmer airport, heading towards a nearby wildfire.
“Wings of Deliverance” was inspired by these aerial firefighting missions. I’ve always been struck not only by the power and precision of these aircraft, but by the symbolism they carry—cutting through smoke and chaos to offer relief and hope in dire circumstances. Although the scene depicted in this painting is a composite painted from several different reference photos of this remarkable plane, it’s grounded in reality: a firefighting aircraft mid-flight, releasing water over a burning forest, framed by the toxic haze that blankets everything near and far. It’s also a reminder of the stark contrasts these planes embody: the violence of wildfire met with the grace of flight and the promise of relief by the water they carry.
To me, these pilots are heroes in a category of their own. They put their own lives at risk as they come our aid. Their presence—both here in Alaska and across the lower 48 and North America—brings with them a sense of reassurance and hope: a reminder of human courage and cooperation in the face of volatile and extreme conditions.
This painting is a tribute to those aircraft, their pilots, and everyone on the front lines of wildfires. Above all, “Wings of Deliverance” is meant to be a gesture of respect for those that put their lives on the line to bring hope to those in harm’s way.
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The Painting Process
Every painting has its unique challenges and this one is no different. Although I felt the plane itself would be fairly straight forward, I was a bit worried about the water drop. I readily admit that painting clouds is one of my greatest challenges and a water drop like the one depicted in this painting is very similar to a cloud.
As always, I started out with the background. Initially I had considered including a hazy sun in the distance, but ultimately decided against it and left it as just a hazy sky.
There rest of the background is just a series of hazy tree lines, except for the tree line closes to the plane that I’d eventually define a bit more.
The plan itself was a treat to paint. The Super Scoopers have such a distinct yellow and red paint job that once I started adding the colors to the paper, the plane really popped. It was very satisfying to see.
I started with a basic layer of yellow and red, then moved on to some of the black colors that are also visible on the fuselage. The most challenging part here ended up being the sections of the plane that’s in the shadow. Finding just the right color ended up being a bit of a challenge but in the end I think it worked out ok.
The water drop was my last stage of this painting. I started by blocking in the whole water drop area with the approximate colors for that area, then I worked through the whole “cloud” from plane to the bottom left corner. I made some course corrections here as well, but in the end, I’m satisfied with the result.
Availability
The original painting, as well as 5×7 and 8×10 prints are available for purchase on my website, as well as on my Etsy Store. For more information about the painting, and to purchase, check out the two links below:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/4324773667/wings-of-deliverance-art-print-super
