Hope in the Remains

Hope in the Remains reflects on loss as a site of transformation. Ash, charcoal, grass ink, and stitch carry the marks of fire, devastation, and grief. Through these materials, the work gestures toward resilience and the subtle return of life after destruction.

This collection was inspired by all the ash that accumulated in my wood stove over the winter, i wanted to give it purpose. The remains of the oak and pine, what once was an object, transformed into powder. In January 2025 the LA wildfires captured my attention. To watch so much destruction in a place that I think of unshakeable, untouched. It is the city where dreams are made. Watching houses turn into nothing it shook me deeply. Living here in Northern Arizona and surrounded by forest, I couldn’t help but feel this pain of loss deeply from afar for it is a truth that to familiar here.

One night shaken by the news, I could feel this unsettling feeling in my bones and my body’s response was to move these feelings through, transform like alchemy. I literally heard, “it is time to paint with the ash”. What you are seeing is the result of this. The larger piece has three insets, representing hope in the remains, for they contain the life again. These are remnants from a previous piece I did using ink I made from grass in the forest.

Destruction can be beautiful if we choose that lense. It gives the space for new beginnings based in the foundation of what remains.