Saren Dobkins presents a powerful series of paintings that take us on a journey in response to the recent bushfires as an analogy of our response to unexpected and life changing events. They were a potent reminder of our fragility where the forces of Nature are concerned. However, the rallying of the community showed our strength and values.  The regeneration of the bush, the significance of trees, the resilience of the human spirit and the fate of wildlife in the face of a changing environment, are explored using visual metaphors and energetic expressionism.

The symbol of the tree is a unifying element in the artworks that thread the interweaving aspects of regeneration, community cohesion, courage, loss and beauty. With the increasing effects of our external behaviour impacting on the Natural world, and hence ourselves, these works explore our sense of place within our environment and questions what we value. Having a personal experience that has left me having to start again, this work shows a parallel trajectory of the process of ‘rising from the ashes’.

The legacy of this catastrophic event continues to affect many people who lost their homes, animals and livelihoods. It is important to remember them.