Through the Ashes by Jess Wathen

When the wildfires crashed through the area this past fall, many people in the area I call home were adversely affected. People lost their homes, their jobs, and in some cases their lives. While I was extremely lucky, I was still emotionally invested in the story, and I wanted to do something to help in the aftermath shortly following the fire. I created this painting to be auctioned off at a charity event with the money going to help provide food to people in the area.

This painting shows a mother bear with her cubs coming through the smoke and cinders of the forest with ash floating in the air and bits of tree limbs sticking up out of the rubble. Just as she will rise over the adversity to rebuild her life and raise her cubs, so, too, will the people in my hometown create new lives for themselves out of the ashes. The mountains breed a strong, hardy, group of people, and they will continue to prove that they are #MountainStrong as they come “Through the Ashes.”

--Jess Wathen