Embers of Hope

Much of my artwork parallels the plight of endangered species with human conditions and situations we face. Over time I've noticed that my work tends to be a bit of a pictorial diary of my own life as well.

Embers of Hope, 30x30, Acrylic & Ink on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Over the past hundred years, Koalas have been threatened by mass urbanization. Their habitat today is nearly gone thanks to the fires. Sadly, they are becoming an endangered species.
 As they continue to battle unending fires in Australia, their plight continues to sadden me.
Koalas are trapped in fires because they move slowly and climb trees to eat and stay safe.
With this painting, I didn't want to depict the gore of their sad reality. Instead, my challenge was to try to find a balanced interpretation that juxtaposed hope with their current plight.
Many have perished burning in flames or getting hit by embers, but many are hanging on tightly for life and surviving. As the embers die out, good people hard-at-work, are coming to their rescue and are giving them a fighting chance.
The current vibe on this planet appears to be in a sad state. So much of the news is negative. Situations seem too difficult to fix, and so many obstacles seem to stand in the way of progress.
Having said all that, I see a lot of goodness still persevering in the background: Communities help each other in times of need; citizens contribute to society and help clean our cities and beaches; innovators are hard at work; animal rescues take place every second of every day; families and friends love and support each other; people of all walks of life get in front of the world and find courage to lead. The list goes on and on. That has to count for something or more than just something. In my book, these are reasons for hope. These reasons narrow the playing field for destructiveness to continue happening freely.

The fight facing Koalas today may remind you of some adversity you have gone through. I know it reminds me of past struggles where I clung on for dear life as my body faced "fires". It didn't want to work properly anymore. It no longer allowed me to use it in ways I wanted. In the end, my spirit found light. Doctors, family, and friends came to my rescue and gave me a fighting chance. They gave me comfort and helped sew those pieces that could be fixed so I could be on my way to live some more, just as the koalas will have to do once they recover and their rescuers send them along to live on their own.
As we all have had to do when facing adversity, they’ll have to as well. They'll have to adapt to a whole new way of doing things; to a whole new world out there.
I survived "fires" and continue today in that same spirit, understanding that "fires" can sprout at any time, but I know goodness from others will ALWAYS prevail no matter what. Goodness weaves throughout the world.
This, my friends, is a bit of insight into my world. Reasons I have hope. Why, at the end of the day, I remain an optimist. Why hope plays a big role in my artwork.

​Click HERE for a few more details about this piece.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any thoughts you may have to share.
​