From the Ashes: Creation from Destruction

"Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return"

- Genesis 3:19

Ashes are a recurring theme in Rosannagh’s work. They represent mortality, change, and rebirth. Volcanic ash and dust, wood ash, smoke, soot and charcoal are symbolic of destruction and loss, they present the remnants of violent, devastating events, but can also signify a greater renewal process. Painting in this way explores the element of fire as an archetype; as a destructive force; and also an agent of change that leaves its mark behind - for better or for worse.
"A fearful black cloud was rent by forked and quivering bursts of flame, and parted to reveal great tongues of fire, like flashes of lightning advancing over the land behind us like a flood."

- Pliny the Younger on the eruption of mount vesuvius

Volcanic Ash is a mixture of rock, mineral, and glass particles expelled from a volcano during a volcanic eruption. Along with water vapor and other hot gases, volcanic ash is part of the dark ash column that rises above a volcano when it erupts. Due to their tiny size and low density, the particles that make up volcanic ash can travel long distances, carried by winds. Eventually the ash in the sky falls to the ground, where it may create a thick layer of dust-like material on surfaces for miles around the original eruption.
- Eitr
- Erupt
- Ash Cloud II
"Charred and limbless trunks of trees stretched away on every side. Ash moved over the road. A burned house in the clearing and, beyond that, a reach of meadow-lands, stark and gray..."

- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Wood Ash is the powdery residue remaining after the combustion of wood, such as burning wood in a fireplace, bonfire, or an industrial power plant. It is largely composed of calcium compounds along with other non-combustible trace elements present in the wood.
- Scrying IV
- Scrying I