Another American Hero

Another American Hero

16x12, soft pastel

This time of year (especially this year) we are reminded of our local heroes. Our firefighters are as inspirational as the healthcare workers who have been working tirelessly for months as we battle the invisible deadly COVID19 virus.  Now, on the West Coast of the United States we battle yet another 2020 demon...wildfires.  So many fires are raging throughout the West, more acres burned than we can count...more lives disrupted, more lives ended.  May God watch over all our heroes, give them strength and courage, and when the work is done, bring them safely home. 

Scars Can Be Beautiful

Scars Can Be Beautiful

9x12, pastel

Day 16 of 30

Painting number 17 is another landscape.  This one is from the Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley, Idaho. Several years ago there was a devastating forest fire in this area. Forest fires are a common occurrence in the West and unfortunately this year is no exception. It's been a very sobering summer with fires all around us. Smoke filled the valley air in Boise for weeks on end.

I felt so lucky while attending the plein air paint-out at Redfish Lake last week.  There was no smell of smoke...no troubling fires nearby.  But driving home I was reminded of fires past, where we still see the ravaged hillsides struggling to recover. Burned tree trunks stand atop the landscape like a week's stubble on a man's face.  Unfortunately we can't shave the hillside and expect new growth.  We have to be patient and wait for Mother Nature to take her time.  

I saw this section of the mountains aglow from the sunrise and pulled over to admire the early autumn colors of the new red/orange undergrowth.  Scarred deeply yes, but oh so very beautiful.  A sign that fall is coming and these beautiful hillsides are on the mend.