Junk Art Firefighter, Other Sculptures (Gone)

Freestone, California

In November 2017, it was hard to believe that an urban wildfire could ever be worse than the one that raced across Santa Rosa, jumped a 6-lane divided freeway, and devastated whole neighborhoods. Only a year later, an even more deadly fire destroyed the entire Sierra foothills town of Paradise.

California's chronic wildfire disease is only getting worse, and the region's inhabitants are thankful that the state's fire departments are ready to rapidly deploy against the beast and to rescue lives. Artist Patrick Amiot, a resident of Sebastopol, just west of Santa Rosa, created a scrap metal and found object sculpture as a tribute to the brave efforts of firefighters.

The artwork was completed and installed only weeks after the Tubbs Fire sparked. The fire, fed by winds and dry conditions, barreled through north Santa Rosa, destroying over 3,000 structures, including the Coffey neighborhood.

Amiot rendered a hose-wielding firefighter in his signature humorous style -- a small, formidable bulwark built of fire extinguishers and fuel tanks, with a rake for a mustache. The figure wears a helmet with a protective visor, and a bright yellow outfit. Affixed to his chest: "Valiant," a chrome emblem salvaged (or a replica) from a 1960s-era Plymouth Valiant.

The firefighter is accompanied by a small Santa Rosa No. 707 fire truck made from junk parts. The sculpture is bolted to a circular pedestal emblazoned with a simple but sincere acknowledgment: "Thank You."

The sculpture, originally in Santa Rosa, was later moved to a firehouse north of Sebastopol.