by Alison Barrows-Young

Artwork Description

Hoping For Rain

0.0 x 0.0

The summer of 2014 brought an onslaught of horrific wildfires. Surrounding me, nature obscured, and darkened, and the sky filled with smoldering ash. As the summer burned on, the severity of the fires was merciless. It was the first time I heard the phrase ‘Super Storm’. Now, the discussion of Global Warming was no longer just a threat, I was watching it overtaking us. I saw a satellite image of the smoke trailing over Iceland. That infuriated me, the sight of our national carelessness sweeping over another distant land was too much. The question as to how I might faithfully render the effect was sharp in my consciousness. For me, ignoring the moment was not the answer and yet, I find it impossible to describe nature as defeated. I closed my studio door and went to work, blending the different colors of summer with each other to create an unlikely blur of tone and value. I slammed, poured, threw and jabbed at the panel’s surface until I saw what I felt. It was a breakthrough.

Artwork Details

Medium: Painting Oil

Genre: Expressionism