I started this painting in the week following the event. I watched the images of the burning towers on television over and over and imagined the horror of what was happening behind the walls of the towers. This painting commemorates the victims that could not be seen.

I painted without much planning...just emotion. When I reached the bottom of the canvas I realized that I needed to express hope for the future so inserted the "Phoenix" as rising from the ashes. The ashes were actual ashes from the wood stove that was heating my studio at the time.