Art Rises From Ashes Of Sonoma Fires

SONOMA (CBS13) – It's been nine months since multiple fires ripped across Napa and Sonoma counties.

Three Wine Country artists lost almost everything in the flames. They met in the midst of disaster but found a way to put their rubble on display.

Inside of a dusty Sonoma warehouse, a collection of odds and ends with one thing in common: everything had been burned by fires in October 2017.

Helena Donzelli's home was destroyed by the Nuns Fire. But when she returned to see the wreckage, she had a surprising outlook.

"As I started looking around, I thought you know this really isn't so bad. A lot of my things are still here," Donzelli said.

Like old wheels, dishes, and garden tools.

She met two others with similar stories – and together they opened a studio to continue creating.

Now they plan to start teaching classes to help others find the beauty in their own tragedies.

This fall, Donzelli and her friends will host an art show – displaying their work for the community.