First, a word of thanks!  Thanks to Eva Macie for citing me in her blog post.  I'm honored!  I heartily recommend reading her recent posting; it includes a great definition of an artist!

I have been exploring the theme of "fire" this August as part of the "Creative Every Day 2010 Challenge".  This is the final posting for the challenge this month.  I thought it fitting to include a painting I did inspired by forest fire season in the Cascades.  Last fall my husband and I were camping in Southern Oregon.  We saw three different forest fires.  The third one was near Diamond Lake which is in the Cascades.  The fire was beyond the mountains that surround Diamond Lake.  We saw the dense smoke.  As I sat in our camp site drawing the scenery I was struck by the warm wind.  Around me butterflies and aspen leaves were moving in the breeze. The winds were spreading the fires and smoke.  I had one of those odd moments of deep mystery.  I worked to capture how I felt.  

The swirling, spiraling shape represents the wind.  The colors might allude to the forest fires, or to the coming of fall.  The leaves, trees and butterflies are all caught together in the cycle, spiral or web of life.  After the fires, the environment will heal and new growth will start the cycle over again.

This design continues to inspire me.  I'm posting the painting along with the original drawing and two new drawing I'm working on.

Thank you.