After Helene – Glimmer of Hope

Medium Description

Hurricane felled oak, burned and wire brushed; 24k gold leaf.

Artist Description

We were out of town when Hurricane Helene tore through Spartanburg. We were alerted to the damage to our home by a “broken glass” message from our alarm system followed by a call from our neighbor. A 120 ft oak had fallen through the middle of our house. As the storm lessened in severity, our neighbors came together and moved everything that could possibly be damaged by the continuing rain and covered everything they could not move. I took the first flight home and arrived that afternoon to surveil the damage.
The next day, as I began digging through the rubble, the neighbors gathered again. This time they came with chain saws, rakes, shovels and blowers. Within a couple of hours they had cleared our driveway to allow tree crews access to our home. Their efforts saved almost all of our personal items and minimized damage to our prized artwork.
The neighborhood rallied for the next 10 days we were without power.  We shared meals together, showered at homes where there were generators, and gathered for kinship.
This piece was made from lathe turned oak that had fallen on our property. It was torch burned multiple times and wire brushed between each burning. It was further embellished with 24k gold leaf.
Through the dark tragedy of a hurricane, we always had a “Glimmer of Hope.”