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canvas prints tree canvas prints sunset canvas prints nature canvas prints wildfire canvas prints wildland fire canvas prints firefighter canvas prints firefighting canvas prints smoke canvas prints wildland firefighting canvas prints forest fire canvas prints flames canvas prints forest canvas prints sunrise canvas prints silhouette canvas prints solitude canvas prints

paintings tree paintings sunset paintings nature paintings wildfire paintings wildland fire paintings firefighter paintings firefighting paintings smoke paintings wildland firefighting paintings forest fire paintings flames paintings forest paintings sunrise paintings silhouette paintings solitude paintings

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A sun muted by smoke filters through the forest as a firefighter walks toward the line. The atmosphere conveys a moment of peace and solitude in fire, which many of us have experienced despite everything else going on during a wildfire or a prescribed burn. This painting is inspired by a photo I have of just such a prescribed fire moment while I worked in the southwest. I painted it on a wood panel that was coated with an absorbent ground, so it does have some texture in the surface. This original is not for sale, it was donated to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation for a fundraiser.

I love making art, but my day job is wildland firefighting. I fell backwards into fire management after earning a degree in Forestry. Most of the summer, I travel to fire assignments, predicting fire spread and behavior one day or several weeks in advance with the goal of helping managers make good decisions about ongoing wildfires. I've held positions in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana, in Christchurch New Zealand, and Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Fire behavior prediction involves fire science, knowing the 'art' of fire, and some computer wizardry. Wildfire can indeed be destructive, but in the natural environment, fire means renewal, regrowth, and a diverse landscape patchwork. My...