just seems like a couple of burned up trees but as with a lot of art the more you look at it the more you see.
I looked closely and noticed that hays started off with just a black background and formed a pattern using
white dots. From there it seems as though he started putting circles and different shapes such as triangles and
even little cockroaches onto the pattern to make it more interesting and less boring. The way he created
depth into the piece with wooden cutouts of fire and even using actual tree branches added yet another
dimension to this piece. The little nuances he incorporated into the pattern on the burned up branches really
makes them pop.
I did some research on Hays background and influences and in addition to the obvious influence from
traditional art in regions such as Japan and Australia, Hays' was influenced by graphic novel artist Frank
Miller (one of my personal favorites). Hays states on his website that this exhibit was inspired by natural
disasters going on in the world at the time. He is interested in the way a natural disaster can wreak havoc on
lives and cause a sudden change. In a moment a person can go from having a life that is fine and peaceful,
to knowing that nothing will ever be the same again. This piece specifically seems to be inspired by the
California Wildfires of 2012. I believe because of that, that this abstract piece conforms to Richard's
philosophy of art that it is symbolic and conveys a message and feelings.
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