Artist Statement
This body of work was created to bring attention to the rapidly changing Mojave Desert landscape, due to increasing wildfires caused by a combination of climate change and invasive grasses brought to the area by ranchers 100 years ago. Wildfires are not new to the area; however, natural wildfires used to burn in small patches, whereas now, because of the grasses, large area burns have become the norm. The Cima Dome Fire of 2020 in the Mojave National Preserve, is an example of these new large burns, which claimed 43,000 acres of desert, destroying 1.3 million Joshua Trees, one of the primary food and shelter sources for wildlife in the area. After visiting the burn site in 2020, I felt inspired by the drastically changed landscape, which was both sad and stunning visually, and I needed to share what I was seeing through my own artistic lens.
What I found most interesting as I was observing the burn site was how the Joshua trees now looked, still standing, with their charred black trunks with patches of white showing where the black outer bark had fallen off as they weathered. The imagery of these burnt trees standing in the desert landscape commands attention when you see it in person, and I felt compelled to give them that attention through portraiture of select trees that I photographed at the burn site over a 2 year period. In these tree portraits/landscapes I wanted to capture a realistic representation of the trees themselves as they are in the desert, odd but beautiful, while using colorful palettes to show the contrast between the landscape and the trees. Just as these trees stopped me in my tracks when I first saw them, I want these paintings to be as odd and interesting as they appeared in nature.
Restoration programs are already in store for the burn site, but the future of the area is still uncertain due to the slow growth rate of Joshua Trees, which are planted annually in batches thanks to the help of volunteers who work with the Mojave National Preserve. Since the Cima Dome Fire, another 100,000 acres of Mojave land burned at York Mountain in 2023.
To get involved or donate to the Mojave National Preserve Restoration:
https://www.nps.gov/moja/getinvolved/cima-dome-joshua-tree-forest-restoration.htm
Contact the artist: studiozizka@gmail.com
Diane Zizka is a multi media artist, who works out of a home studio in Las Vegas, NV. She’s been painting for over 20 years being and has a BA in studio art from Cleveland State University. Zizka works as a freelance artist, hired for various public and private art projects in Las Vegas, in addition to her own studio practice where she currently creates regional art, inspired by life in the desert. 
This program/project was supported, in part, by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the state of Nevada.
Monday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Tuesday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Wednesday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Thursday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM
Friday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Saturday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Sunday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
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