Beauty From Ashes

Several years ago, we had an abnormally warm and dry summer here in Alaska. Temperatures reached into the high 80’s, even 90’s. The result was, unfortunately, a lot of wild fires that burnt large areas of forest and human habitations. It was a summer of loss in more ways than one.

However, the following year revealed what nature does after an extreme fire. It comes back alive. As we traveled to Homer, we passed through areas where just 12 months prior we had raced by as fires burned within reach of the road in many places. Now, what was left was blackened tree trunks and…fireweed.

We found a side road that led us to this large clearing that was completely covered in fireweed for as far as the eye could see. It was an amazing view, and a testament to how nature comes back from the ashes.

It felt appropriate to call this painting “Beauty from Ashes” as a reminder that even from the burn out landscapes, nature will rise again and once again become beautiful.