Looking Down – Slater Fire

18″ x 24″

Acrylic on Canvas

Standing at the edge of the burned forest, I am amazed when I look down. A root, pine needles, the normal forest floor. When I look up, the world has changed, but underneath my feet, stability. Common Ground.

The Slater Fire exploded in growth under dramatic winds, roaring through the forests of Northern California and Southern Oregon. After the fire was out, I traveled up to the edge of where the fire had stopped and explored the environment. My friends and family had been evacuated from this very fire.

This fire burned near and on the lands of the Karuk people. A tribe with a long history of living with fire through careful prescribed burns. Fire is part of their culture. For more info, please see the Wildland Fire Program by the Karuk tribe.