This work was made in response to the California wildfires, using heavily textured, charred surfaces to evoke the physical aftermath of fire.

In parts of California, non-native species such as eucalyptus can alter fire behaviour and make fires harder to control. Their shedding bark, flammable litter, and ember-casting tendencies can increase fire spread and intensity, disrupting fire regimes that native plant communities are better adapted to. In that sense, introduced species can shift fire from a more ecologically integrated process into one that is often more damaging to both landscapes and built environments.

A small pocket was built into the painting with the intention of holding soil and allowing weeds to grow from it, introducing the possibility of regrowth directly into the work itself. The piece holds destruction and renewal together, not as opposites, but as part of the same cycle.