If we were to collect wisdom from a bunch of fictional characters, Iroh of the Fire Nation would easily make it to the top five. However, even Iroh was young and foolish once. Foolish enough to lead the siege of Ba Sing Se, anyway. But everything changed when his son fell in a battle. This was a major turning point - not only for Iroh but for the entire world. This work is an attempt to capture that point.

Somehow, I found myself in possession of a piece of watercolor paper that was torn right about the middle. Not willing to let good paper go to waste, I decided to make the it a part of the picture. The tear represents split in the reality. On the left is the path where Lu Ten’s death caused Iroh to renounce the life of conquest which ultimately ushered an era of peace in the world. Right of the split explores a reality where General Iroh conquered the city of Ba Sing Se.

Watercolors were a great medium for this work. The vivid colors nicely bring out the stark contrast between the peaceful blue and angry red of the skies. The lush greenery and the scorched earth. The glue holding the paper together could not be painted over. This made the transition a between the two realities a bit messy. In retrospect, that may have been a good thing!