Smokeless Chimney

“Smokeless Chimney” began as a simple observation of an old brick chimney that no longer releases smoke. The older home where the chimney exist, may have had a coal burning furnace at one time. Our home did when I was a child in a neighbourhood very near here. Bringing back memories of shuffling down to the basement to stoke the coals and get the fire going in the early mornings. I can imagine the dark sooty clouds escaping from this chimney in the cold winters past. This chimney is probably now only used to vent vapours from the natural gas fired furnace that has replaced the coal billowing smoke machine. Over the course of a few years, I have observed the changes in weather creating different effects with light, colour, clouds, rain, frost and snow. Whether it’s the first rays of the early morning sun, clouds breaking after a storm or a street light casting it’s odd colour balance over a long exposure in the middle of the night. This view is in constant state of change, it’s own living art form. My curiosity with this chimney, turned into a study of these ever changing elements around this lonely old chimney. I am one of the few witnesses, if not the only constant observer.