“Hope”
Valerie Blab
46, Mary Kay Consultant, supply teacher, artist
| The stark
broken trees
reflect the deadly aftermath of a forest fire. The sickly,
jaundiced sky, the red sun and the trees with the flame-like red
tongues twisting through their bark, bear the memory of the
event. Most of the colours, the brown, black, gray, and ochre are
dull, and to my mind, dead-looking colours. Red and green,
opposite each other on the colour wheel, are also called
“complimentary”. In the same way, life and death oppose one another and yet, at the same time, compliment each other in the circle of life; from the dead trees, new growth springs. The small sprig of green represents new life after the fire and hope for the future. |
 |
Forest
fires are very much a part of the history of the district and
continue to be an inevitable fact of life in the area. They are
one of
nature’s agents of regeneration and provide for the growth of new
stands of trees. In my mind, the trees also represent the
hardiness
and determination and enduring nature of the human inhabitants of the
district as well. We are very much rooted in this area that we
love.
The
inspiration
and my personal connection with the imagery in my
banner is my own memory of what the sky looked like when a forest fire
threatened Red Lake in 1986. The yellow/gray sky, eerie red sun,
still, heavy, acrid air and the ash sifting down and settling on the
car and on the water in my daughter’s swimming pool are images that
remain vivid in my mind. In this piece, with simple, bold images
and
few, carefully chosen colours, I have tried to convey the harshness of
that eerie feeling. I hope that the contrasting sprig of green, a
colour which represents life, to me, stand out in sharp relief to the
bleakness of the rest of the piece and inspired the viewer with hope.
The Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre is a charitable organization, funded by the Municipality of Red Lake and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. Reg # 87315 2714 RR001
