Up in Flames

Up in Flames by Spencer Frazer: An owl with ornate patterns flies through a stylized forest, surrounded by vivid flames.
Up in Flames by Spencer Frazer

An owl with ornate patterns flies through a stylized forest, surrounded by vivid flames.

Name/Title

Up in Flames

Entry/Object ID

L2026.1.3

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil on Canvas

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Spencer Frazer

Role

Painter

Date made

2022

Dimensions

Height

30 in

Width

24 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

Up in Flames rises as a luminous warning—a vivid, patterned vision of nature under siege. The noble owl, rendered in radiant color and modern geometric forms, becomes both guardian and witness. One wing dissolves into a lattice of burning forest shapes, where bold hues and angular motifs echo the chaos of wildfire and the scars of clear‑cutting. In this fusion of beauty and devastation, the owl stands as a symbolic “canary in the coal mine,” contemplating the collapse of the world it depends on. The painting’s striking palette and structured visual language heighten the urgency of its message, reminding us of the fragile brilliance of the natural world and the peril it now faces.