Becky Arsenault is one of 25 artists working to create portraits for residents who lost homes or pets in a wildfire that tore through parts of Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains on May 28.
Silva — who lives in the nearby community of Stillwater Lake and was forced to evacuate along with thousands of others on the evening of May 28 — said the initiative is a way to emblematize all that was lost. Laura Silva says the artists converse on an Instagram group chat. When a new request comes in, it's put in the chat and then an artist claims it.
They boast a range of styles — watercolour, acrylic, canvas and embroidery, to name a few — and they'll be working to create a variety of keepsakes, including portraits of homes and pets who died in the blaze. "When big tragedies like this happen, we tend to look at it and say, 'I want help. What can I do to help make the community feel better and to help them heal?'" said Arsenault.