"The Fire Chronicles - Walking the Healing Path"
According to creator Howard Jones, “ 'The Fire Chronicles: Walking the Healing Path' is an artistic expression of the simultaneous unfolding stories of hope and healing within our Big Sur earth and a man’s best friend.”
"The Fire Chronicles: Walking the Healing Path" is an exhibition combining original photography and poetry to chronicle the transformation from “fire and destruction” to the “beauty and hope of renewal” beginning the first day of the public reopening of Big Sur after the 2008 Basin Complex fires. The Basin Complex fires, which drew more than 2,000 firefighters from California and several other states, were tragic for the residents and the wildlife, including the California Condors. The four-month burn consumed more than 160,000 acres of beautiful coastal forest lands.
The Artist and His Best Friend
Howard Jones, a Carmel resident for more than 20 years, has been hiking in the Big Sur area since his teens. He was in Big Sur the day the fire started – the day his journey of discovery and recovery began – and he has not viewed nature, life, or time the same way since. He watched Big Sur transform into red, orange and black explosions accented by smoky skies and hues of ash, sepia and black. Then, one day, Jones realized that Mother Nature had begun the healing process even as the fire raged. Tiny green shoots, a single feather, a lone hawk circling above – they all reminded him that on the other side of despair is hope. The Fire Chronicles is Jones’ artistic expression of that truth.
Logan
Jones’ best friend – a 14-year-old red heeler/Australian cattle dog named Logan – faithfully accompanied him on his sometimes twice-daily photo chronicling of the land following the fires. It was during this time that Logan was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few short weeks to live. “It turned into a magical journey of exploration - a journey that touched my four-legged friend and me.”
This Gift is Made Possible By:
Dr. Yojiro Iba - In Memory of Dr. Eldon Dixon
Howard Jones Photography
English