5th February, 2010

A year on from Victoria's devastating 'Black Saturday' bushfires in which 173 people died, NELL POTTER talks about her inspiration for 'Wiped Out'...

Like most other Victorians, I was shocked by the bushfires that swept through the Marysville region in February last year. Having personal connection with people who lost loved ones drove home the devastation more deeply. Blackness befell everyone, both physically and emotionally.

Visiting the burnt out area six months on, whilst the regrowth was evident, the solemn feeling was still all pervasive.

These wildfires, like other devastating fires througout the world, show how powerful nature is and how interconnected we humans are with our surroundings. Civilisations such as the Amazon Indians, whose identity is so entwined with the forest, could be wiped out if their habitiat goes up in smoke.

With the combination of higher temperatures, possible reductions in rainfall and evaporation rates, these tragedies may only increase. How we live our lives is so interwoven with nature, whether we acknowledge it or not. We ignore it at our peril.

  Title: 'Wiped Out'

  Medium: oil on canvas – woven