This series of works is inspired by two cyclical phenomena that have greatly influenced the Northern California landscape: fog and fire. Both fog and fire obliterate, turning scenery and nature into whiteness and light. Familiar shapes return when the fog dissipates; fire however leaves behind an eerily tragic, beautiful, charred landscape. Fog creates a comforting, quiet, contemplative solitude – a cocoon around us, encouraging thought and contemplation. The aftermath of fire creates similar conditions, with charred remnants awaiting future rebirth. Whereas fog and fire might seem to be opposites, the works strive to explore a quality that they hold in common: their role as generative and regenerative agents in the cycle of nature. In a reversal of commonly accepted representations, white suggests oblivion, and black suggests rebirth.
Ferguson Fire, Sketchbook, Bernal Hill Fog, Encaustic and Oil Test Panel
Black Smoke Rising, Golden Embers, Ferguson Fire Swatches