The Artist's Road Painting the World's Beautiful Places

Consumed by Fire



Flames and Smoke     24 x 36"     Oil     © Louis Copt

The artist must create a spark before he can make a fire,

and before art is born,

the artist must be ready to be consumed

by the fire of his own creation.

                                                                  - Auguste Rodin

   Travelers driving through the Great Plains of the Midwest may be shocked to see massive acreages of the landscape on fire each spring. These burns are prescribed and managed in order to rejuvenate the prairies, imitating the lightning strikes and fires that maintained the grasslands in the past. Many ecosystems native to the area depended upon periodic fires to suppress invasive plants and to ensure the long-term survival of native species.

   It is a controversial practice. The smoke, which is made of particulate matter can be a health hazard for those with respiratory problems. Smoke can also cause visibility issues particularly near to major highways. The burns require planning, expert management and vigilance to be sure they don’t become uncontrolled wildfires.

   For artists, it is a mesmerizing event, spellbinding to watch, and difficult to paint.

   We thought it would be interesting to look at all the ways that artists, past and present have attempted to depict fire and smoke.

   From camp fires to the burning of Parliament, from Goya to Gauguin to contemporary artists, Louis Copt and Ye Wang, fire has been represented in paintings throughout the centuries and in all mediums.

Louis Copt

   A contemporary artist and teacher in the heart of the MIdwest who has intensely focused on the seasonal burning of the Flint Hills in Kansas, is Lois Copt. From his website, https://www.louiscopt.com:  "Copt is fascinated by the challenge of capturing the force of nature as the fires race across the prairie renewing the landscape for yet another season." Copt has been featured in multiple national art magazines, received many awards and shown his work across the country. He is well known for his dedication to the prairie landscape and his commitment to teaching.

Burn Near Kahola Creek          24 x 30"          Oil          © Louis Copt


Red Buffalo          24 x 30"          Oil          © Louis Copt

Yeqiang Wang

   Contemporary artist, Ye Wang received his BFA from Sichuan Institute of Fine Arts in Chongqing China and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts at the University of Windsor in Canada, before coming to the United States. He currently teaches as Associate Professor of Art at Washburn University in Topeka, KS. He has participated in numerous juried exhibitions throughout the world receiving top honors. 

Tinder Alight          11 x 15"          Watercolor          © Ye Wang

Controlled Burn               16 x 20"               Oil               © Ye Wang


Glimmery Ash          11 x 15"          Watercolor          © Ye Wang

A Gallery of Paintings from Historical Masters

   This selection of paintings comes from many countries and portrays fire in all its forms, from a warming, subdued campfire to raging forest wildfires.

The Grass Fire       Frederic Remington     1908

      
         Fire at Night   Francisco Goya 1793            Fire in the Woods   Aleksey Savrasov  1883

Campfire     Winslow Homer      1880

Fire Dance      Paul Gauguin     1891

Prairie on Fire      Paul Kane      1849

                    
       Fire by the Water   Paul Gauguin   1886       Apache Fire Sign    Frederic Remington   1908

Lesnoi Pozhar (Forest Fire)        A. K. Denizov Uralsky       1900


The Burning of the Houses of Parliament          J.M.W. Turner         1834

             
               Bonfire    Isaac Levitan    1878               Fires in the Forest   Lazlo Mednyanszky  1910

 
Mountain Fire      John Singer Sargent      1903

   Here are two additional contemporary interpretations, one by a member of The Artist's Road:

   Oregon Fire     Jerry Prueitt      2018   

Queen of Snows    John Hulsey     2010

   We hope that this small gallery of fire paintings has inspired you to consider fire as a powerful and interesting subject for your next painting.

 There may be a great fire in our soul,

yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it,

and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke. 

                                                                                                    - Vincent van Gogh