THE GIFT OF FIRE

30”x40” acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, 2024

As the story of Prometheus illustrates, fire can be a double edged sword, both fierce and nurturing, offering bountiful blessings or irreversible loss. In the Coast Salish story of the Raven Who Stole the Sun, the trickster's feathers were scorched black when we soared to high altitudes and deposited the sun in the heavens. Fire is life bringer and a destroyer, embodied in the spirit of Kali, the curiosity of Pandora, the journey of Persephone, rebellious Eve and the forbidden fruit. With every spark we are reminded the importance of respecting the power of nature, of reverence and reciprocity, of surrender, humility, and grace. May we learn to receive all gifts in this way.