Four Elements - Fire

 The Burn - SOLD

6 x 12

The four elements, Earth, Air, Water and Fire are classic and open to much interpretation.  I am toying with an idea for my own interpretation of them, using Newfoundland themes.  Of course on this island, all elements are very much in abundance, so there is a lot of room for experimentation.

There are some common sights in the province that spark off ideas for this little series of four pieces. They usually depict small slices of life in Newfoundland that spring from activities which encompass each element.

The first that came to mind was fire.  On the island, fire is a common heat source, but a woodstove burning was too mundane.  During the winter and early spring, especially after cutting wood, the limbs and boughs are heaped up and burned to make space when clearing ground - a burn.  This painting is in the woods on my property, the wet boughs sending up a plume of white/ochre smoke into the still air as the fire crackles underneath.  The embers of this type of fire is where I produce my own charcoal.

This is in oil on a 6 x 12 stretched canvas.  The smoke and fire still need work on them and another session should do it.  I have a number of ideas to populate the remaining three elements but haven't decided on specifics yet.  Ideas are always welcome.