Krystii Melaine-Alight - Roseate Spoonbill

As the forests around my former home burned in early 2009, I began this painting of a roseate spoonbill flying slowly as though suspended in space. As the painting developed and the fire raged through the beautiful tall trees, the landscape I was painting became lost in a haze of indecision, leaving the bird with nowhere to land. It seemed fitting to leave the land below in this uncertain state as a reaction to the destruction of my beloved forest and all the animals and birds I had enjoyed sharing it with. The title refers both to the forests being alight in the fire, and the bird having nowhere to alight as a consequence. 

As a postscript, our former home survived the fire due to our installation of a fire suppression water system years before. Other homes nearby burned to the ground, so we were very glad that our efforts had saved the house for the current occupants, and possibly their lives as well.