While the nature of our fast-paced world might make the LA wildfires feel like a disaster of the past, for many Angelenos, the impact of the tragedy rages on and will endure for years to come. The city remains shaken to its core, but many continue to find ways to give back and support those affected. Two local illustrators, Asher Bingham and Henry Kaye, have turned to their craft to provide relief, exemplifying the giving spirit shown by so many throughout Los Angeles.
Bingham has been illustrating houses for homeowners who lost theirs to the fires, while Kaye has been illustrating storefronts of local businesses that are also no longer standing. He’s selling prints of these illustrations and donating the proceeds to three LA-based organizations that are providing fire relief.
I reached out to Bingham and Kaye to learn more about the way they’re each using their artistic skills to provide a special sort of relief to mourning Angelenos. Their responses to my questions and photos of their illustrations are below (lightly edited for length and clarity).
Asher Bingham
What’s your personal relationship with LA? How long have you lived here? What’s your favorite thing about the city?
I grew up in Wisconsin, but in college, I discovered a love for film editing and moved out to LA in 2007. I’ve always loved LA because there are so many cultures one can experience here, but there’s also a camaraderie of fellow transplants, all from somewhere else but out here chasing a dream. That’s always resonated with me.
Why did you decide to turn to your illustration skills as a means of providing wildfire relief?
It was something I just fell into. A good friend got married the Monday before the fires and lost her home that Tuesday night. So, as soon as I heard the news that her home was gone, I knew I wanted to draw it as I remembered it. I sat down, drew the home, texted her a picture of it, and thought that was that. But then I realized I could do that for other friends if they’d lost a home too, so I put that in a group text with some girlfriends. I asked if they thought other people might want a home drawing or if they thought my style was too strange?! Honestly, I didn’t know if these little drawings would be something people would want. One friend told me to make a reel and put it on my Instagram so she could pass it around, and that was the reel that went viral and started the entire thing.
How does it feel being able to give back in this way to those who’ve lost so much? What have the responses been like from those you’ve given illustrations to?’
It feels amazing that there’s something I can do that actually helps people. Something unexpected that started happening when I took submissions is that people started telling me stories around the loss of the home, such as an elderly couple that had a doctor’s appointment in the morning before the fires broke out and never made it back home before it burned down. One was about a man who left for work in the morning but couldn’t leave his job and lost his home that day. Stories like this make me understand the true importance of what having a drawing of their home will mean for them and also the responsibility to take each one utterly seriously and draw them as if it was my home. I want to catch all the details they might find important, like chairs on the front deck or wind chimes in the trees. I am drawing a happy memory for someone, and to be able to do this is such a beautiful thing to me.
I want to catch all the details they might find important like chairs on the front deck, or wind chimes in the trees. I am drawing a happy memory for someone and to be able to do this is such a beautiful thing to me.
What’s your process for drawing these homes?
When I start drawing a home, I first go to my spreadsheet of over 1,300 requests. I keep it color-coded between those that are done, in progress, and not touched yet so it’s easy to track progress. I then go to the next available line, find the images that relate to that response, and start planning out my work. I draw freehand on paper with ink pens. If the picture has the whole house and looks great, I’ll try to draw the picture as closely as possible.
I want the home to be as updated and beautiful as possible so I make sure all the trees have leaves, all the grass soft, the flowers in full bloom and clouds in the sky.
Some images come in really dark or at weird angles, or some are half a home, so I also do a lot of sleuth work to try to recreate the angle as if you were standing in front or to the side of the house in full daylight in the middle of summer. This often means looking it up on Google Street View and cycling through various years to find the perfect structure to work from. I want the home to be as updated and beautiful as possible, so I make sure all the trees have leaves, all the grass soft, the flowers in full bloom, and clouds in the sky. I also focus on any details that look like the homeowner really put time into it, so if there are stones lining the walkway, potted plants everywhere, or if there are trimmed shrubs, I make sure to capture these bits since it was obviously something they cared about.
How many illustrations have you done so far? How many requests have you gotten in total?
So far, I have done over 110 drawings myself. I also asked fellow illustrators to volunteer time and draw some homes because my list is verging on almost 1,400 requests right now. Cumulatively, we’ve done over 250 so far, but many remain.
I saw in KCRW’s coverage about the project that you’ve hired some help to draw all of the homes that have been requested and that you said, “I think I accidentally started a non-profit.” How has this skyrocketing growth landed with you? Do you see the project growing beyond the LA wildfire relief efforts?
In a dream scenario, I would have funding and a team, and we would draw anyone’s homes from any natural disaster that has occurred. I have already had people reach out who have lost homes in the Woolsey Fire or in the hurricanes on the East Coast, and I’m heartbroken that I can’t open up to more requests at the moment. I don’t think many people realized how important this project is to these survivors and how much a tool for healing these art pieces have been for people who have received the drawing. It’s a tiny memento but also a bit of closure for many who wish to remember their home in its beauty and feeling of calm and safety vs. the final image of the rubble many are going through.
It’s a tiny memento, but also a bit of closure for many who wish to remember their home in its beauty and feeling of calm and safety vs. the final image of the rubble many are going through.
I am relying heavily on many volunteers to help me respond to requests and draw homes, but that help comes intermittently when they want to give time, so it’s a very slow process at the moment. I would say 60% of my day is managing and responding to messages vs. actually drawing. If I can find grants or sponsors to help bolster the infrastructure of this project, I would love to draw for anyone who needs it.
The response to someone receiving a drawing has been the best part of this whole project. I’ve gotten hugs and tears and really heartfelt messages from people all over that they will treasure these drawings their entire life or that it’s getting framed and put up in the next home once they rebuild. I’ve been offered sourdough starter as thanks or a meal at a family restaurant. People just want to give back and say “thank you” in whatever way they can. The outpouring of gratitude has been really touching and keeps me going even when I feel anxious about not finishing pieces quickly enough or when I have what feels like too many messages to respond to and log in my day.
Henry Kaye
What’s your personal relationship with LA? How long have you lived here? What’s your favorite thing about the city?
I grew up in New Jersey, and from a young age, always dreamed about moving out to LA— I very much romanticized the idea of moving out west. I have now lived in LA for almost 10 years, and for me, the magic of this city lived up to what I imagined. I love driving around at night (especially aimlessly and without a predetermined destination) and going out to dinner at a new spot or at a special restaurant I’ve been to a million times, like Musso & Frank, which has that old Hollywood/LA feel. It never gets old to me.
You’ve been illustrating LA storefronts even before this project of paying homage to businesses lost in the fires. What is it about these old LA storefronts that you find so compelling and want to recreate in your own style?
This series of drawings first started as a love letter to my fiancé, Tiffany. I was drawing and documenting all of the places we’ve loved going to together over the years— they really have marked our time together. I’ve always loved posting up in a big red booth and having a night out. With so many of these places being iconic to the imagery of this city, it felt like such a perfect series to draw and leave open-ended. I’m also very inspired by old matchbook and bar menu drawings and wanted to bring some of that nostalgic energy into my illustration work.
Why did you decide to turn to your illustration skills as a means of providing wildfire relief?
This city has given me so much, and I couldn’t even begin to process the weight and devastation of these fires. Since I’ve been drawing restaurants for years, it felt natural to use my work as a way to help. I’ve always set out to honor the landmarks that have meant so much to me and so many people in the LA community.
For your wildfire relief project, how are you deciding which storefronts to memorialize through your illustrations?
I started the project with a series of restaurants in Malibu that I’ve had a connection with. As I shared the drawings on socials, people reached out with their own stories, suggesting places that meant something to them, too. That direct feedback online helped shape the project, making it feel even more communal. It was overwhelming to see LA come together, rallying around these spaces and their history.
It was overwhelming to see LA come together, rallying around these spaces and their history.
What’s your typical process like for drawing these storefronts?
I collect as many reference photos as I can, from all different angles, either from my own camera roll and nights spent there, or through “walking around” on Google Street View. Then, I kind of forge many different elements together into one composite reference, blending multiple perspectives into one final composition.
How did you decide on which organizations to donate the proceeds from this project to?
I chose to support WalkGoodLA, Pasadena Humane, and the CCF Wildfire Recovery Fund because each organization is making a real, tangible difference in the lives of those affected by these devastating fires.
WalkGoodLA is an incredible nonprofit organization that supports underrepresented communities in Los Angeles. Within 24 hours of the first evacuations from the Eaton Fire, they mobilized to collect and distribute food and clothing to hundreds of displaced residents.
Pasadena Humane is a very special, community-supported animal resource center that has been working tirelessly to rescue and care for the many, many displaced and injured animals impacted by the fires.
Lastly, the CCF Wildfire Recovery Fund stood out as a powerful way to provide broad, meaningful support across all affected areas. With a long history of making direct and lasting impacts, this fund ensures that families and communities receive the help they need, exactly when they need it most.
I’m honored to contribute to these organizations and grateful for the incredible work they do to support the people and animals of Los Angeles during such a devastating time.
The post Two LA Artists Providing Wildfire Relief Through Their Illustrations appeared first on PRINT Magazine.