My work explores the transformation of the natural landscape under the weight of climate change, focusing on the visible and emotional scars left by wildfires. My focus is narrowed to the region in which I live that has been impacted by wildfires the most, the Mojave Desert. The creation of these paintings emerged after 2 years of field studies of the burn site and a grant from the Nevada Arts Council. Through colorful portraiture of select burnt joshua trees, my aim is to capture the strange beauty of both the devastation and the quiet resilience of an ecosystem in flux.

  Wildfires—once forces of renewal—have become relentless agents of destruction, reshaping forests and communities. In my practice, I am drawn to the tension between beauty and loss: the way charred trees form haunting silhouettes against orange skies. These paintings are not just records of disaster; they are meditations on adaptation and our collective impact on the planet.

  By documenting the changing environment, I invite viewers to confront the immediacy of the climate crisis while also recognizing nature’s capacity for regeneration, with or without man. My work seeks to hold space for grief and hope—to witness the landscapes we are losing, and to imagine what might still be saved.

From 2020 - 2023 the Mojave Desert has lost 143,000 acres of joshua tree forests to wildfires in two large burns, one in 2020 that erased 43,000 acres in a couple days, then another 100,000 acres in 2023, also in a matter of days before the fire could be contained. Natural burns in the desert were common, but typically burned small areas. Due to invasive grasses and increased droughts, these burns are now larger and far more destructive. Conservation efforts are in effect to try to restore the slow growing Joshua Tree forest, which provides a large amount of the food and shelter within the delicate ecosystem in the area. For information about ways to help visit https://www.nps.gov/moja/index.htm The creation of this body of work has been partially funded by the https://www.nvartscouncil.org and https://www.arts.gov , which generously supports bringing new projects to life in the Las Vegas Area.