"Canyons Ablaze" stands as my response to the fierce beauty of nature's trials, captured within a compact 11" x 14" wood panel using gouache. This landscape is charged with color and movement, conveying the urgency and chaos of fires racing through southern California canyons under Santa Ana winds.

A dramatic mountain dominates the background, painted in vibrant blues with touches of purple, drawing attention with its textured surface. In stark contrast, the foreground is alive with swirling hues—fiery oranges, reds, and yellows—that suggest the relentless energy of the natural calamity. Overhead, a dark sky pierced by a luminescent moon and wispy clouds adds depth and drama to the scene.

Creating Canyons Ablaze required a unique approach. I used a black gouache ground as my starting point, which presented a challenging yet rewarding process. The layers of paint carved out the scene, allowing each brushstroke to build upon the dark foundation and create a vivid, dynamic composition.

This artwork is a tribute to the powerful and destructive force of wildfire, an attempt to capture in stillness what is inherently wild and uncontrollable. Canyons Ablaze visually narrates a story of nature's ferocity and the beauty within its chaos—a fleeting moment preserved in gouache and wood.