Weather data from the Kelowna fires (McDougall Creek, Clark Creek and Walroy Lake) of August–September 2023 is reimagined into fluid, cloud-like forms that recall both smoke and water. The flowing shapes are scaled, rotated, and arranged to evoke motion and impermanence—then translated through a blend of digital and hand-crafted processes into sculptural reliefs.

Unlike its fiery counterpart, Parched takes on cool, watery hues—a deliberate inversion of the event’s reality. The piece reflects on the fires that leapt across Okanagan Lake, a region defined by its deep blue waters and summer tourism, and the immense volumes of water consumed in the fight against a seemingly unquenchable blaze.

I used iridescent wrapping paper and coloured resins to achieve translucent blue tones that shimmer and shift with the viewer’s movement, suggesting both the surface of water and the heat haze of distant flames. The title, Parched, speaks to contradiction: water everywhere, yet not enough to soothe the burn.