When the Thomas Fire tore through Ventura County in late 2017, it incinerated most of my life's work. Around 100 of my paintings that were stored in a shed outside our home were lost—including several family pictures and a series of portraits of older people that formed a body of work featured in my book, "The Art of Aging: Celebrating the Authentic Aging Self." I want to share the story with you of how I passed through the devastation of the Thomas Fire, which unexpectedly reignited my passion for painting.
Finding Beauty in Ashes: How the Thomas Fire Led Alice Matzkin Back to Painting
Looking back at those early days of December 2017 is still hard. The Thomas Fire unexpectedly spawned on December 4 in Santa Paula, about 40 miles east of Santa Barbara. Flamed by strong winds, it grew to 500 acres within an hour. By daybreak, 40,000 acres had burned and 150 buildings in Ventura lay destroyed. By the time full containment was reached on January 12, 2018, the fire had burned 281,000 acres and destroyed 1,063 structures, including my shed that contained years of stored artwork.
I was one of the lucky ones because my house survived.
"It was shocking, but there was nothing I could do," I told reporters from the Los Angeles Times after the fire. "I could either go bang my head against the wall and scream and cry and go nuts, or just say: 'It happened. Thank God the house didn't burn down.'"
That gratitude wasn't easy to summon. But it’s true. My husband Richard and I came out physically unscathed while a firefighter and a resident both died in the fire. We were lucky.
"My other thought was, 'Well, when we're dead, the kids won't have to worry about what to do with all these paintings,'" I quipped.
You can see a video I took of the burned down shed from the Thomas Fire:
The Long Silence
After the wildfire and during the long years of the COVID-19 pandemic, I completely stopped creating art. It was a striking pause after a long, successful career as a portrait artist. My painting of Chelsea Clinton once hung in the White House during Bill Clinton's tenure, and my depictions of Betty Friedan and potter Beatrice Wood have been featured in the National Portrait Gallery. My work has toured with several numerous museums including the Smithsonian. But the art stopped flowing after I lost my artwork in the fire.
Then one day, I heard a voice in my head while sweeping the floor, telling me: "Go to the studio and don't worry about what you're going to do. Just go do something."
Many of my supplies were cindered, but I found some black charcoal paper and pastels and started doing these bizarre drawings, like stream-of-consciousness stuff. I couldn't stop. I completed eight pieces in a period of a few days before graduating to larger abstract paintings on bigger canvases. Now I've finished almost 100, several of which were on display at the Farmer and the Cook cafe and market in Ojai in October of 2025.
I'm sitting here painting away like a maniac now, from dawn to dusk. I’m so deep in the process that I forget to eat. Something inside me awakened that hadn't stirred in years. Passion rose from the ashes.
Aging Is the Ripening of Your Being
At 85, I've come to understand that every age has its beauty. When I look in the mirror, I notice every wart and these arms that look like lizard arms. All I did was go to bed at night and wake up and there was another wrinkle on that face. What can you do? It's part of the beauty and accepting it is much easier.
Just like my artwork that burned in the fire, we all meet our death. Impermanence keeps us alive. It keeps us living.
This philosophy lives in my work, embodied by the book Richard and I created together, The Art of Aging: Celebrating Your Authentic Self which has so many pieces of art that are dear to me. Though much of the artwork featured in the original edition burned in the fire, the message remains. Aging is a time of ripening and growth, not decline. I feel grateful that my artwork lives on in our books.
I looked in the mirror at 58 and started noticing that these wrinkles are really starting to show up. I looked outside and saw that everything was dying: Trees are dying, flowers are dying... everything dies, except maybe plastic. Everything's got a cycle, including me. And then I went, "Wait, this is crazy to think that way... afraid that I'm going to drop dead... Might as well enjoy life."
THE ART OF AGING
Celebrating the Authentic Aging Self
by Alice & Richard Matzkin
In their award-winning book, The Art of Aging, painter Alice Matzkin and sculptor Richard Matzkin share the wisdom of elder mentors to look for the positive side of growing older and coming to accept and appreciate their aging.
Throughout this beautiful and touching book, the couple explores the experience of aging through their paintings, sculptures and writings. In a series of projects that confront their fear and curiosity about growing old, they examine physical changes, sensuality and relationships, aging parents, spirituality, and death.
The book features art features well-known people such as feminist Betty Friedan and potter Beatrice Wood, friends, neighbors, relatives, and themselves.
Our Love Rekindled Our Work
Being together with Richard woke up our art. Both of us started creating again after the flames of our relationship woke up the artists inside of us. Our love inspired us to go back to work. We fell in love the first time we went out, on the Santa Monica Freeway. I was driving my little car and he took my hand and said, "You're so beautiful." I'm sitting there looking at this guy and I'm like, "This guy is so cute." Soon we were making out in a parking lot. I don't make out in parking lots; this was an exception.
Since then, we've lived in a single-story Ojai home for 33 years, filling it with memories and mementos. Sculptures by Richard, painting my me, and our books on the bookshelf fill our home.
Portraits of older family members dominate, including several deathbed scenes: myself and my mother, and a close-up of Richard's Aunt Kitty with eyes closed and mouth open. Aging has been a cornerstone of my work for decades and the Thomas Fire reminded me of how precious the time we have on this earth truly can be.
What I See in My Paintings Now
If you start to see an image appear, I flip the canvas before continuing—and it's a whole new thing. The works, which I describe as bizarre and wild and totally not boring, can be rotated and displayed four different ways.
"If you really stare at them, you'll find all kinds of imagery," I said to the LA Time reporter who recently visited my Ojai studio. Bursting forth are birds of paradise, galaxies, floating stairways, and even an octopus.
Our intention in life is to bring love into the world and art has always been my way of sending love out to others. The world is becoming more chaotic, just like that Thomas wildfire. But look at all this beautiful artwork that came out of the loss of that fire. We need to transform the chaos into something beautiful. We need to rise from the ashes and love again, love what we do again. Don’t let your passion go.
I Am Not Afraid
Beatrice Wood was 100 and still throwing pots on her wheel when I portrayed her for my aging project. She reminded me that the well of creativity never runs dry. It's been overflowing in my studio lately.
Now I look at myself differently. "I'm not afraid to die," I insist. "I'm just so grateful for my life." I live every day knowing how precious it is and what a gift it is to be able to create another piece of art.
Was it nerve-racking to stage a new exhibition? At first I was thinking, "Golly, this is going to be a challenge." Then I realized it was just my ego speaking, and it had nothing to do with the actual art, you know, worrying about what somebody else thinks. I didn’t want to get in the way of the artwork reaching people. That’s why I’m still putting my artwork out there in my 80’s and all that life experience goes into what I create.
Some people see loss. I see an invitation to begin again. Some see endings. I see new beginnings waiting in fresh paint. Some see ashes. I see the piece of charcoal that I picked up and started drawing and painting again. I’m an artist and I can’t stop being who I am. You can take a break, but you can’t stop being an artist.
About the Author
Key Points:
- The Thomas Fire of December 2017 destroyed around 100 of artist Alice Matzkin’s paintings, stored in a shed outside her Ventura home
- Alice Matzkin, her husband Richard Matzkin and their home survived the Thomas Fire in 2017
- Alice Matzkin’s burned artwork included portrait she had done for her book The Art of Aging and work featured on the Oprah Show.
- Her surreal abstractism was featured in the exhibition "Painting in Tongues: Emanations From a Quiet Mind" in 2025 in Ojai, CA which showcases what emerged from loss of the Thomas Fire
- Learn more about our books and teachings at thematzkins.com/books
Table of Contents
Thomas Fire Timeline: December 2017 – January 2018
A chronological account of the Thomas Fire's path through Ventura County and its devastating impact on the community.
December 4, 2017 — Ignition
The Thomas Fire begins near Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California, approximately 40 miles east of Santa Barbara. Strong winds cause Southern California Edison power lines to explode in an electrical arc, igniting dry grass below. Within one hour, the fire grows to 500 acres and crosses Highway 150 into Santa Paula.
December 4, 2017 — Power and Panic
At approximately 10:00 PM, the fire destroyed a SoCal Edison plant, knocking out power to roughly 100,000 homes and businesses, including most of the city of Ventura and extending through Goleta. By 11:00 PM, the fire reaches 20,000 acres and becomes visible in the hills above Ventura City Hall. Thousands of residents begin evacuating.
December 5, 2017 — Ventura Under Siege
By daybreak, the fire has grown to 40,000 acres and has destroyed 150 buildings in Ventura, including Vista Del Mar hospital. The western front jumps Highway 33 and burns into Casitas Springs, while the eastern front advances toward Fillmore. The fire reaches 50,000 acres. A mandatory 10:00 PM curfew is issued for the entire city of Ventura. A boil-water warning is issued for Ventura and Ojai as the fire threatens Casitas Water District pumps. The coastal town of La Conchita is evacuated.
December 5–6, 2017 — Alice Matzkin's Studio Lost
During the initial firestorm through Ventura County, the Thomas Fire incinerates the shed outside Alice and Richard Matzkin's home. Approximately 100 paintings stored inside are destroyed, including family portraits and a series of portraits of older adults that formed the visual foundation of the book "The Art of Aging: Celebrating Your Authentic Self." The Matzkins' home survives. Richard and Alice remain physically unharmed.
December 6, 2017 — Ojai Evacuated
By 9:00 AM, the fire had grown to 65,000 acres with zero containment. A hazardous air warning is issued for Ventura, Oxnard, and Camarillo as thick onshore smoke blankets the coast. That evening, the northern edge of the fire burned up and around the mountains surrounding Ojai. The entire city of Ojai is placed under rapid mandatory evacuation. That night, the fire's southern edge moves toward La Conchita and jumps Highway 101 at Seacliff Drive. Authorities close the freeway in both directions.
December 7, 2017 — Ash Like Snow
By 6:00 PM, the fire had burned 115,000 acres and destroyed 439 structures.
December 8, 2017 — A City in Masks
Ash falls like snow from Ventura to Santa Barbara. Residents are told to stay indoors and wear dust masks outside. The fire is now 132,000 acres and only 10% contained. Resources committed include 3,500 firefighters, 21 helicopters, 544 engines, 46 hand crews, and 26 bulldozers.
December 9, 2017 — Ventura Stabilizes
The bulk of the blaze moves on from Ventura. Most of the city is removed from mandatory evacuation. By this point, approximately 530 structures have burned. That night, the fire enters Santa Barbara County.
December 10, 2017 — Santa Barbara County Threatened
At 1:40 AM, rolling blackouts hit Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. By 6:00 AM, mandatory evacuations are issued for large areas of Carpinteria, Summerland, and Montecito as the fire creeps west along the mountainsides. By noon, evacuation advisories extend to much of eastern Santa Barbara as the fire explodes into the foothills. By 6:00 PM, the fire has grown to 230,000 acres and is so intense it creates its own weather patterns.
December 11–14, 2017 — Backburn and Battle
Firefighters take advantage of onshore winds to perform a controlled backburn. The fire steadily creeps north and west along the foothills.
December 15, 2017 — Containment at 40%
The fire has burned nearly 260,000 acres. Containment reaches 40%. Growth along the Santa Barbara foothills slows due to effective firefighting.
December 16, 2017 — The Fire Roars Back
Winds of up to 65 mph cause the fire to explode along the ridgeline in a final resurgence. Evacuations are issued for all neighborhoods above Alameda Padre Serra and Salinas Street in Santa Barbara. The National Guard is deployed to maintain order.
December 17, 2017 — Westward Expansion Halted
The fire's westward expansion is halted as it hits the Tea and Jesusita burn scars from prior wildfires. The fire continues burning in the remote backcountry.
December 21, 2017 — Evacuations Lifted
All evacuation orders in Santa Barbara County are lifted. The fire is 272,000 acres and 65% contained.
December 25, 2017 — Christmas Containment
Containment reaches 88%.
January 12, 2018 — Full Containment
The Thomas Fire is fully contained. It has burned 281,000 acres, making it—at the time—the largest wildfire in California history. In total, 1,063 structures were destroyed and two people lost their lives: one firefighter and a woman who died in a car accident while fleeing the fire.
Sources: Thomas Fire timeline compiled from Ventura County historical records and reporting by Tim Chester for the Los Angeles Times ("A wildfire destroyed most of her art — but at 85 she's painting like never before," September 16, 2025). Additional detail regarding Alice Matzkin's lost artwork sourced from the same Los Angeles Times article.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to the artwork of Alice Matzkin in the Thomas Fire?
Around 100 of Alice Matzkin’s paintings stored in a shed outside her Ventura home were incinerated during the Thomas Fire in December 2017, including family portraits and work that contributed to "The Art of Aging" book. Alice and her husband Richard survived as did their house.
Where can people view Alice Matzkin’s artwork?
Some of the most well-known pieces of art by Alice Matzkin are found in her book The Art of Aging on Amazon. In 2025, she had an exhibit at the Farmer and the Cook cafe and market in Ojai (339 W. El Roblar Drive) for her series "Painting in Tongues: Emanations From a Quiet Mind." You can visit her online gallery at https://www.thematzkins.com/gallery-1 /
What is Alice Matzkin’s advice to other artists who have experienced loss like the Thomas Fire?
Don't let fear of the unknown stop you. The well of creativity never runs dry. Every age has its beauty, and putting good vibes out in the world matters more than pleasing everyone.
References:
- Chester, Tim. "A wildfire destroyed most of her art — but at 85 she's painting like never before." Los Angeles Times, September 16, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-09-16/alice-matzkin-takes-artistic-turn-after-finding-new-inspiration
- "Thomas Fire, December 2017." https://sbbucketbrigade.org/timeline/2017-thomas-fire/
- Matzkin, Alice and Matzkin, Richard. The Art of Aging: Celebrating Your Authentic Self. Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Aging-Celebrating-Authentic-Self/dp/1591810817
- Ventura County Fire Department Discovers the Cause of the Thomas Fire. https://fire.venturacounty.gov/news/vcfd-determines-cause-of-the-thomas-fire/