6x24 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper on stained maple panel
$495 | ready to hang

The Jobs of Yesteryear series combines history and surrealism to tell the stories of obsolete jobs. A contemporary glimpse into the past, these mixed media paintings serve as a reminder of a time and stories long forgotten.

This particular Job of Yesteryear mixed media painting features a fire lookout. Fire lookouts and their towers predate the United States Forest Service and became nationally numerous after the Great Fire of 1910, arguably the largest forest fire in recorded history burning 3,000,000 acres in Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The first female fire lookout, Hallie Morse Daggett, was hired three years later in 1913. Spotting plumes of smoke, tracking lightning strikes, and directing firefighters to the fires are among the duites the fire lookout sought to fulfill along with stocking their own supplies and firewood all fire season long. Although some are still staffed, the fire lookout has largely been replaced by cameras and aircraft.

The Fire Lookout IX was created with acrylic paint, and the long-limbed character was cut from paper and collaged with kraft paper. The Jobs of Yesteryear are thought-provoking conversation pieces that will bring an air of history and whimsy to any room.