A Penticton artist is paying homage to firefighters across Canada and hopes others in the community will join him in saying ‘thank you.’
Skyler Punnett’s new illustration, ‘The Crow That Ate The Wind,’ honours the first responders who fight wildfires.
The unveiling of the art comes as more than 1.8 millions hectares has burned in B.C. this wildfire season, as of Aug. 29.
“As the fires closed in around my hometown I thought of the idea of ‘fighting’ the fires,” Punnett said.
Wildfires have raged across the region over the last two weeks, including in the South Okanagan and Similkameen.
Those blazes represent two of the close to 2,000 wildfires have been burned in B.C. this year.
Punnett’s work goes on sale Thursday morning, Aug. 31, with 100 per cent of the proceeds in the first week set to go to the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
“A child-like notion that one could somehow shoot the flames with a slingshot and bring them down the way David brought down Goliath. I thought of the ravens and crows circling above the fire and imagined one with the ability to eat the wind as it blew the flames towards danger and save us all.”
The foundation honours fallen firefighters and helps support their families.
Four Canadian firefighters have lost their lives fighting blazes this year, including two in B.C. Devyn Gale, 19, and Zak Muise, 25, were honoured with memorials this summer in Revelstoke and Penticton, respectively.
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Punnett’s illustration is a 16” by 16” archival print on water colour paper suitable for framing or hanging.
The print will be on sale starting Thursday at 8 a.m.
Punnett’s work been previously been featured locally on labels and cans at Penticton’s Cannery Brewing.
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logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com