Bass Lake Fire

The two drawings Bass Lake Fire I and II as well as the Creek Fire Relic Bow make up a work that refers to the ongoing and ever-growing ecological issues in California and around the world.  The drawings depict a charred pine tree in the aftermath of another devastating wildfire just as the Creek Fire Relic Bow displays the physical remains of the Creek Fire of 2020, the largest single-source wildfire in the State’s history at the time. 

The Bass Lake Fire drawings are in an art-historical sense a type of memento mori depiction – a reminder of the vulnerability of life and the environment, especially in a time of rising ecological catastrophes.  The tree is rendered with charcoal pencils, created in a mesh of tiny lines.  The backdrop, made with soft pastels, presents a simple composition of color fields through a clay-like ochre tone together with a light chrome oxide green, (a color commonly used by the United States Forest Service, especially for their vehicles and fire trucks).

The “relics” (from a fire tornado that incinerated homes, businesses and an area the size of the nation of Mauritius), are pieces of charred Ponderosa pine bark from a critical point in the fire near the town of Shaver Lake.  They hang from a curved piece of wood, painted in stripes reminiscent of the California Kingsnake.  Though a snake is often depicted as symbolizing the earth, when shedding its skin, it also becomes a symbol for renewal and rebirth, much as the fires are for the landscape.  Through destruction and death comes hope and a new cycle of life.

Bass Lake Fire I,II (California Wildfire), 2023 
Charcoal pencil and soft pastel on paper 2 x 67 x 87 cm - Photo: Rudolf Strobl

Creek Fire Relic Bow, 2023 Charred Ponderosa Pine Park from the Creek Fire of 2020, varnish, paint, wood cable and fittings. Photo:Rudolf Strobl