1. “2020 Colorado Fires” - Rocky Mountains, Colorado 2020. 30 inches x 19 inches. 
Pigment Translucent to Acrylic Face Mount. Edition 1 of 1.

These four photographs have been layered and printed on a translucent transparency and face mounted to acrylic. It is suspended from the ceiling and well lit to show its transparency qualities. The first image is a telephoto of the sun fighting through the smoke which I have cropped out from its background. The second is a photo of the Lefthand Canyon fire taken from my balcony. The third is a tree line photo taken in Ward, portraying the smoke and ash falling from the sky. The fourth is a photo taken at sunset of Chautauqua Park in Boulder.  
Although I will never forget the beautiful orange crimson colored skies that blanketed the foothills, it is the reason behind these smoke filled sunsets which left me haunted throughout the summer of 2020. An already tragic year to say the least has now been topped with fast spreading fires and harmful smoke that has erased peoples properties and more importantly the wildlife and wilderness of our majestic landscapes. Three key factors are to keep in mind when asking what causes these fires: humans, lightning, and weak fire suppression methods/prescribed burns. Not only is fire beneficial for sustaining healthy ecosystems, experts argue that prescribed burns are necessary to eliminate the fuel that’s built up in Colorado’s landscape over that past century due to dead trees, drought, and fire suppression tactics. As hard as us humans fought to contain the fires, what ultimately put a halt to the fires was mother nature herself. On October 25th, a winter storm swept over the Rockies and foothills and helped contain the fast spreading fires. 

Two fires just miles from Boulder, Colorado were sparked one day apart: Cal-Wood fire and  Lefthand Canyon fire and the cause is still being investigated. There is speculation that these two fires like many across Colorado this year have been human caused. I live 10 miles from these fires and watching them first hand was very terrifying and apocalyptic. But, we must all be optimistic for from death and fire comes birth and gives way to light and life. Mother Earth will regenerate herself and regrow, new life. I may never live to see the torched forests of Colorado regenerate, but I will still continue to be a ‘Radical Optimist’ and keep hope and faith that the new green day will come for these forests and animals. Just because it will not be in my lifetime, doesn’t mean it will not happen. It is hard to imagine a future lush forest when you are witnessing it burn to the ground as smoke clouds rise far beyond the natural clouds in the sky. I have walked these landscapes before and after the destruction. Each time I revisit, I see the small newling trees sprouting, reaching for the sun through the soot and ash that covers the blackened forest floor. This makes me optimistic and creates a bond of reciprocity with the earth. Just like these torched forests, I can persevere through the hardest times and rise with new life, new beginnings. My life is just like the process these forests endure for I am nature and nature is me. I always like to say, “I went to get lost in nature, and what I found was myself.”