Work by Milton artist Anne Buck available at auction through May 15

Anne Buck, an award-winning watercolor painter and member of Milton Arts Guild, has submitted a painting to Ashes to Art, an online auction that benefits Colorado fire departments devastated by the historic fires of 2020.

Artists from all 50 states are represented in the auction. Buck’s work, “Watch Tower,” represents Delaware’s participation in Ashes to Art.

The 2021 Ashes to Art Project, co-founded by Lori Joseph and Tim O’Hara, solicited various forms of art – ranging from paintings to jewelry to sculptures – to be sold in an online auction for charity. Each piece of artwork must incorporate charcoal from the actual wildfires in some way.

Buck’s “Watch Tower” features charcoal as a shadowing technique. “I was humbled to be invited to participate in Ashes to Art and represent the state of Delaware,” Buck said. “It feels good to create something someone will love, all the while helping – in a small way – communities to heal and grow after such devastation.”

In the summer and fall of 2020, wildfires raged across Colorado, causing devastation never seen before in the state. More than 700,000 acres burned across seven counties.

Proceeds from the auction will be split equally between the Poudre Canyon Fire Protection District and the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department – two volunteer forces that were financially drained after working tirelessly for several months to contain and extinguish the wildfires.

Online bidding for Buck’s “Watch Tower” and other pieces runs through 10 p.m., Saturday, May 15, at biddingforgood.com.