For five years I’ve been observing the forest that was burned in the Cold Springs fire in 2016, near Nederland, Colorado. It’s about a mile from where I live. An entirely new crop of trees have emerged, a process that I find fascinating. From this incredible heat, 800°C (1,472° F) or higher, emerges ephemerals and plants, then grasses, and then the pioneer saplings such as fir, aspen and pine. Some species of pine trees are sealed by a resinous bond which can only be cracked open by the high temperatures associated with wildfire.
Nicholas Emery, new growth, acrylic & oil pastel on canvas, 29” x 23”, 2021
the space between, 21” x 22”, acrylic, oil pastel, & pencil on canvas
In this way, from fire and heat and ash and destruction comes life.
More next time
Nicholas Emery
November 2021
photograph by Nicholas Emery
