Australia and Canada Fight Fire
Today I was inspired to create a piece of art to raise awareness of the catastrophic fires happening in my home country, Australia. My art below is also a small tribute to the many Canadian fire fighters who are helping to battle the devastating wild fires.
Australia has become an inferno, with many communities being displaced from what has been described as "apocalyptic" with scenes of "tornado fires" and "flying fire balls." I believe art can be used as a medium to raise awareness, and spread the word on how we can help.
If you haven't heard what's happened, here are some facts below taken from several sources distributing the latest news on the fires.
1. Firefighters from across Canada are on their way to Australia to join those already there, helping the country battle devastating wildfires. [CBC Canada.]
2. Australia's fires have burned more than twice as much land as the summer's Amazon blazes. [Insider Australia.]
3. Twenty people have so far been killed - including three volunteer firefighters - and about six million hectares (60,000 sq km or 14.8 million acres) of bush, forest and parks have been burned. [BBC World]
4. Below is a graphic image to show how big this environmental tragedy really is. And this illustrates the fires in only NSW. If you include other states, it is more than 3 times this size. [BBC World]
5. There are many ways to help, including fundraisers for the Trustee of NSW Rural Fire Service and Brigades, the Australian Red Cross, Foodbanks, Emergency Relief Funds, and organisations like Givit. I have listed a few below.
*Facebook Fundraisers (Trustee of NSW Rural Fire Service and Brigades)
I know it's difficult to donate because without enough research, you may not know which organisation is the most worthy (or most in need!) of receiving it. But a little bit can go along way, and the most important thing is that we all work together to make a difference, even if it is only a few dollars.
Despite all the tragedy, I am uplifted by how much Canada has been helping Australia fight these fires, and today this is what my art wants to illustrate. I hope that even if you cannot donate, you can share my art to spread the word about this incredible alliance between two countries I love so dearly.
From the founder of Ave Mariabell Designs,
Ave.
xoxo