Painting - After the fire 1

After the fire 1.

Last summer we had a severe grass-fire on the hills around our home.  I took photos on the day, and then some later when the flames had died down. 

This rather dull image features partly fragmented snail-shells and charred earth.  Some of the shell remained light in tone even after the fire.

 I wanted to make a painting of this, so zoomed in on a tiny section on which to base the painting.  Taking a closer look, it was possible to see more colours than I did from the large image; light tones of the mineral calcium of the shell and darks of the carbonised soil.  It set me thinking, that even when things look destroyed and dead, the raw materials of renewal are still present.