Rob Jüng holds the beloved art piece. (Facebook/ Rob Jüng’s MetalArt)

By Nigel Maxwell

Inspiring stories

‘It’s like a Phoenix rising from the ashes’: Raven sculpture survives wildfire

Oct 8, 2025 | 12:00 PM

Brandy Bloxom says the discovery of a beloved raven sculpture, amongst the ashes of where her home was stood, has provided her family with a feeling of renewed hope.

Her home was among the over 200 homes at Denare Beach destroyed in June by a raging wildfire.

In the aftermath, a non-profit organization helped residents find lost valuables by sifting through the debris and agreed to be at Bloxom’s home for about six hours.

“They dug and dug and in the last 10 minutes when they were just almost done basically, was when they pulled that out, so it was pretty amazing,” Bloxom explained.

Bloxom, an artist herself, explained she had a pet raven that came by frequently, and her friend Rob Jüng, another talented artist, thought the sculpture would make an appropriate gift. She received the gift in 2020 and five years later, it has a new purpose.

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“It’s kind of like a Phoenix rising from the ashes.”

(Facebook/ Rob Jüng’s MetalArt)

Earlier this week, Bloxom returned the sculpture to her friend and he offered to clean it up and restore it to its original glory. But Bloxom has instead insisted some of the burn marks remain.

“It’s almost more valuable to me now”

Going forward Bloxom said there is still a lot of uncertainty amongst the residents at Denare Beach and nobody knows when they’re getting their home. One thing for certain though is when Bloxom’s home is re-built, the raven sculpture will have a place inside.

Rob Jüng is the sculpture’s creator and in a social media post explained the sculpture was more than art—it was a piece of a family’s home, a symbol of memories and love.

“When the Wolf Fire swept through Denare Beach, it seemed all was lost. But against all odds, volunteers racing against time found this lone survivor in the ashes — the only thing left. Imagine the weight of that moment: a symbol of hope, pulled from devastation.”

Jüng told paNOW seeing the raven pulled from the ashes, after everything else was destroyed, felt almost like a symbol of hope surviving the fire.

“That sculpture has always had meaning for me, and seeing it endure something so devastating really hit me. Moments like that remind me why I create. Sometimes art outlasts the chaos around it.”

(Facebook/ Rob Jüng’s MetalArt)

Jüng explained he has carefully restored the raven, cleaned off the ash and melted plastic, straightened the arrow a little, and neutralized the rust. He then applied a clear coat, which deepened the dark, heated tones of the rebar.

“I left some of the burn marks visible. They’re part of her story now,” he said, adding the raven will hang in at the im-PERFECT-ions Gallery in Hudson Bay, until the Bloxom family’s new home is ready for her.

“The Raven was one of my early large sculptures, and it’s always been special to me. But surviving the Wolf Fire and being the only piece recovered from that home gave it a whole new level of meaning. It’s more than a sculpture now; it’s a symbol of endurance, memory, and resilience.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell