Mask for a Fire Ball
This piece is part of a series of fire-related works I produced after a devastating bushfire in my area in northeastern Tasmania in December 2006, which destroyed 26 homes as well as many hectares of private property and bushland. One life was also lost. The mask idea came from the Through My Eyes challenge, as well as depicting the destruction and fear which comes when bushfires strike. I tried to include some humour too – a kind of visual pun. hence the name The rings which form the eye spaces came from the tops of plastic milk bottles. The hot colours and flame shapes relate to the fire itself, and the green expresses hope and regrowth. The mask format relates to how we try to put a brave face on things even when inside we might be finding life very difficult.
Mask for a Fire Ball was included in the Regener8 Exhibition, held here to mark the first anniversary of the bushfire.
Rita Summers
St. Mary’s, Tasmania AU