“Paradise Lost” was created in 2019, inspired by the record-breaking 2018 California Camp Fire that devastated the town of Paradise CA.

Fia Pitre:

“I painted “Paradise Lost” in 2019, inspired by the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, CA.

I collected forest fire ashes from the San Bernardino National Forest and created an ash-oil paint that I incorporated into the painting in the darker sections.

The painting is presented on ceramic conduit insulators that I collected from downed power lines in the San Bernadino National Forest in November 2020.

Poor maintenance by PG&E of these types of insulators has been pointed to as a cause of the 2019 fire.

This painting encapsulates the duality of awe and fear created by seeing a fire out of control, as well as a record and material sample of the event.