Herb Williams’ Flaming Sculptures Made From Thousands of Crayons Increase Wildfire Awareness

The prismatic colors inside a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/pete-goldlust-carves-colorful-crayons-into-intricate-sculptures/" target="_blank">Crayola crayon box</a> inspire children all over to color to their heart’s content - however artist <a href="http://www.herbwilliamsart.com/" target="_blank">Herb Williams</a>’ inspiration has leapt off of the page and into the fire! Using thousands of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/crayon-rings-by-timothy-liles/" target="_blank">whole crayons</a>, he has built a field of flaming sculptures, which “burn” with Crayola’s bright colors while increasing awareness about wildfires.

Five curling flames blaze to larger-than-life heights in Williams’ new piece, “Unwanted Visitor: Portrait of Wildfire.” The installation has been created outside the <a href="http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ranchhc/" target="_blank">National Heritage Center</a> in Lubbock, Texas.

Set in a dirt field near historic stone dwellings, the five flame sculptures represent the area’s wildfires, which are caused by the intense Texas heat. The heat will also take a role in the installation, melting the crayons as time goes on.

Wildfires are a serious environmental issue for the ranching community in Texas, and Williams’ installation brings awareness to the problem of the ever <a href="http://inhabitat.com/hot-is-the-new-normal-why-high-temperatures-are-evidence-of-climate-change/" target="_blank">warming climate</a>.

Twisting and turning as individual flames, each sculpture in the installation is colored with gradating rows of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/handmade-human-shaped-crayons-for-the-next-michelangelo/" target="_blank">Crayola crayons</a>.

Hundreds of hot pinks are met with oranges that lead to yellow tips, an the competed sculptures stand as high as 8 feet. As the sculptures melt, the colors will shift in shape and intermingle, creating a blur of color. Like a wildfires, the sculptures will be affected by the elements - the wind blowing or sun beating down will determine the shape and state of the material each day.

The sculptures use a medium associated with children to illustrate a serious problem - <a href="http://inhabitat.com/sound-the-alarm-landscapes-in-distress-enviro-exhibit/" target="_blank">environmental destruction</a>. Hopefully the juxtaposition will help awaken <a href="http://inhabitat.com/beautiful-wildfire-table-made-from-multi-tone-scraps-of-acacia-wood/" target="_blank">wildfire awareness</a>, and intrigue people to stake an interest in the Texan landscape. The installation will remain until the end of the year.