Hope 4 LA
A painting inspired by the LA fires of January 2025, and the resilience of the affected communities
"Hope 4 LA" - Acrylic on Kirei board - 2025
January 2025, the LA fires are massive, and violent. Entire communities wiped away. it seems like the type of event that a city never recovers from.
We are all shaken, wildfires are a big deal here in SD too and we're used to dealing with that particular type of destruction.
One thing I know is the people of LA are industrious, as soon as the initial shock settles I can already imagine all the activity that takes place on the charred land, patiently bringing it back to life.
I decide to capture this thought: from the city burning at the bottom we see smoke columns become weaving paths in the darkness, suggesting the frantic of activity that culminates in a new blossom at the top
I naturally started with the backdrop: yellow-red for the fire at the bottom, where I suggest some LA landmarks barely visible through the blaze (Santa Monica, LAX Terminal building, Holliwood sign)
Then through darkness things flow towards green (to represent hope) at the top.
The in-between is obtained layering the three primary colors together until black, then I painted the traces using just white at first.
Once i had the traces I went over them once again with the same colors, layer after layer, until they matched their surroundings in the different spots.
