The Landscape of Fire

Thumbnail image of Suze Woolf painting

Painting Details
Watercolor on Arches watercolor paper
52 x 15
 
I have realized that it is the fire-scarring, the chunks of carbonized wood structure, that, for me, are the visual essence of forest fire impact. This particular tree was near the Marble Canyon trailhead in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, Canada. In 2003 I had been set to hike this same trail on a summer trip, but the hut burned to the ground in the huge fires that year -- partly inspiring the entire series.

This painting is part of the America's Parks through the Beauty of Art exhibit touring in the U.S. in 2013.

As the climate warms, forest fires are becoming more frequent and catastrophic in the western United States. My deep anxiety with the impacts of climate change on wilderness are emerging in this series. Burned-over areas of forest are riveting. Unfamiliar tree forms are newly exposed. Formerly hidden terrain features become visible. Normal greens, blues and browns are transformed. All the worst fires of the last fifty years have occured in the last five years.

Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about any of my images. All represent original paintings, not reproductions. I have many more paintings than are shown on this site. And, since I frequently work in series, there may be additional views of the subjects shown here.