“10/09/17 – Santa Rosa” – photomontage © 2017 – Howard Faxon
Santa Rosa, California is a city with a population of roughly 200,000 people. One night while most everyone was sleeping a wildfire blew into town and moved so fast that shopping centers, major hotels, and whole neighborhoods burned to the ground. For the first couple of hours most of the efforts by responders were dedicated to evacuating people. It was pretty much all they could do to get people out of the way. These poor people left their houses so fast they didn’t even have their cell phones, wallets, etc… It was a really bad week. This image was made because of this event, named after the event, and I thought for the first time about why art might have a date for its name.
I made this image in response to an artist call for entries. The show that was to be titled ‘Sonoma Strong’ would feature art related to this catastrophe and the recovery from it. Sonoma is the county that Santa Rosa was the capitol of. I submitted this image as a large mural piece and was not selected. They never say rejected. Now I have it and it has only existed in digital form. Files need names and art needs titles ….
My titles always come later – well after the work is finished. And, I’m really not much good at titles. Images come from one place and titles come from a place completely different. It’s hard to adeptly smoosh them together. So, in a hurried moment, I titled this one “10/09/17 – Santa Rosa”. I had never named something after a day before …
Why do artists title a work after a particular date? I never really stopped to think about it. Now I realize what it does over time though. It’s a marker to history. If you view the work, and want to understand it, you have to know what happened on that day. There is that Goya painting and I realize now the painting was named for its future. An indelible stain demanding a historic explanation. … Oh, my guess is that “10/09/17 – Santa Rosa” will never exist in the actual world. I’ll bet you 10 bucks.
©2019 – Howard Faxon
Very artistic and impressive. I should say expressive too.
how did I miss this one?
The art section is easy for a horizontal to hide in.
And when it is smaller it doesn’t look like much. … Hey, it’s home to the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport. The logo is Snoopy flying the dog house.
guess that must be it, then…
So remarkable artwork with tragic sky lights…you’ve managed to express a lot of different feelings.
Thanks so much.
I’m not sure if something that has never left a computer exists. I don’t think it does.
“I don’t want to be part of any club that would have somebody like me for a member”. – Groucho Marx
I should have focused on the rebuild, the resilience, or some then-and-now contrast instead of the event. In retrospect.
Oh, I guess that “10/09/17 – Santa Rosa” will never exist in the real world – these are your words. But I think what you have done will save it and it will tell what happened in reality on this date. I’m sorry you were not chosen to show your work.
“I don’t want to be part of any club that would have somebody like me for a member”. – Groucho Marx
I should have focused on the rebuild, the resilience, or some then-and-now contrast instead of the event. In retrospect. And, you are right. Iy is existing right now almost.
That’s impressive. Really nicely done.
Thank you. I didn’t see the show but I have wondered what would be there. I wasn’t sure if I had still lived there if I would have enjoyed seeing the show. And, maybe works in the show focussed more on the resilience of the community and rebuilding. It was one year later and perhaps I should have thought more along those lines.
Cheers.
The fires are so tragic and this photo does a good job at representing the devastation.
… and the next fire season there was a worse fire than this one in Paradise, CA. There are wildfires all around Santa Rosa each summer but people living in the city would have never thought it was possible – it was quite a shock.
Thanks Carol
Great and mind blowing image
Thanks Witty for the feedback and stopping by. Cheers.
This photomontage shows the drama and fire on that day. Good work!
I’m going to add it to my collection of rejected things.
Thanks so much.
This image will stay in your mind forever.
Well, it is easier to forget because of not being there any longer.
I think the lung damage from the smoke is staying for sure. But, i won’t ever forget that you are right. Cheers.
Those were devastating fires, too many people lost everything.
Nice work, the image carries the weight of the agony.
Thanks, …. the very next fire season there was an even worse fire. Also I never saw the anniversary exhibit I was rejected from. I was a bit curious.
As a poet, when I was entering contests years ago, i used to always say send me a copy even if you don’t pick mine. I want to improve.
Plus I always figured any group that picked me as a member, was suspect.
“I don’t want to be part of any club that would have somebody like me for a member”. – Groucho Marx
I should have focused on the rebuild, the resilience, or some then-and-now contrast instead of the event. In retrospect.
A good friend of mine always says looking back i should have waited.
He says that to everyone that asks him how he got where he is.
I always laugh!