From Ash to Art

During April at The Alley Gallery and Art Studios, we will be showing special pieces by Amanda Blickensderfer who has created sculptural paintings in response to the Lee Fire. Join us during ArtWalk 4/3/26 from 5-8 pm for the opening in downtown Steamboat Springs, between the 8th St Steakhouse and Urbane in the alley of 729 Lincoln Ave.

The Ripple Effect II, Paper pulp sculpture, paint made from ash from the Lee Fire, and painted leaves by Amanda Blickensderfer.

The Lee Fire started on August 2, 2025 from lightening strikes in Rio Blanco County, Western Colorado. This fire, burning on Bureau of Land Management land and rural ranching lands came very close to Meeker, Colorado. It grew to 137,758 acres making it the 5th largest fire in Colorado history, and was contained in September 2025.

Steamboat artist Amanda Blickensderfer was deeply moved by the loss of homes and habitats due to the Lee Fire. Steamboat Springs is in Routt County, a neighbor of Rio Blanco County, and close enough that ash was falling in town. “That tension between the surreal beauty of the ash and the tragedy of the fires stayed with me,” said Amanda.

Last winter, Amanda collected a charred log and ash from the fire and mixed it with a paint medium. Wanting to create circles that imitate the ripples on a pond, Amanda sculpted paper pulp onto a backing and then painted it with the ash. In some pieces she added pressed leaves painted gold. “While wildfires are scary, they are a natural, detoxifying process for the land. My work aims to show that destruction, though painful, ultimately paves the way for new beauty,” said Amanda.

Turning Over a New Leaf, Paper pulp sculpture, paint made from ash from the Lee Fire, and painted leaves by Amanda Blickensderfer.

Turning Over a New Leaf, above, is in the approximate shape of a map of Colorado. the size of each golden leaf corresponds to the acreage of a wildfire from the last three years, with the largest leaf representing the Lee Fire. Decades of aggressive fire suppression have ironically created a more dangerous landscape today. Painted with a glaze made from ash, the work juxtaposes the remnants of destruction with the golden promise of regrowth.