The force of Fire – Burning Bush series

Description

The first in my Burning Bush series, ‘The force of Fire‘,  tries to convey the scale of

devastation that fire can cause our bushland here in Australia. The once thriving green bush, if impacted by

bushfire, can be left with nothing but burnt trunks of trees rising from a smoking floor of ash and coals barren of

any signs of life.

In my years of service as a firefighter, I have been deployed to many of New South Wales bushfire emergencies

and have seen firsthand the speed and force with which fire can totally decimate our Australian bushland. The

scale and enormity is that of a level that must be seen to be believed. Fire seems to take on a life of its own, Flames

as high as office blocks, dancing across the treetops, Embers dropping kilometres ahead of the fire front creating ever

growing emergencies. The Eerie glow in the dead of night warns of the impending danger.

Nature never fails to impress in these times.  While many animals succumb to the fire, many use their instincts

to somehow evade the oncoming devastation moving to safe ground.  Similarly, once the fire has passed and you

might think every living thing has been wiped out, within months shoots of green appear as the bush repairs itself

and new life blossoms over time. While fire is a natural part of the bush cycle, unfortunately far too many of the

fires are deliberately lit.  People need to be more mindful of the impacts that fires can have on Bushland, wildlife and

also human life and livelihood.

This artwork is a multimedia creation using real ash and coals along with sticks captured on resin and tries to

represent the burning bush. Approximate size: 60cm x 46cm

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