February 11- 25th: Will Hutchinson

Will Hutchinson came to the Den from Missoula, Montana, where he is a fire fighter and an artist.

Will didn't fight against the infamous Black Forest Fire of 2013, which originated near Colorado Springs, but he did fight in the High Park fire of 2012 in Colorado. He showed me some of the photos he takes when he is in the field fighting fires.  Strangely, since he takes them while he is working, he cannot legally circulate these images since they are technically property of the government.

 

 I was in Colorado Springs a month before the Black Forest fire started last year.  At the time, I was making collages using screenshots from the original Bambi animation, which has a famous forest fire scene:

Humans, although never seen in the film, are the sole source of evil in the Disney view of nature.  It is believed that the Black Forest Fire of 2013 did not start from natural causes.  Investigators said the possibility of arson was small because they found no gasoline, matches or other accelerant usually found in arson fires.  Though the cause of the fire remains unclear, it appears more likely to be started accidentally by a person.

 

Some of Will's drawings are inspired by the forms these fire clouds make.

Will fixed various things around the house, including a staircase and some molding.