GoFundMe for Sarah Nalley & Andrew Thompson - Marshall Fire

I know a few people who lived in Louisville or Superior, and it appears as if most of them got lucky and their homes escaped the Marshall Fire. However, one was not so fortunate, and I'm sharing their GoFundMe in case you'd like to help.

From Sarah Nalley:

This is all still so unreal! Thursday, while out on a walk with Andrew Norris Thompson and our dog, I sent my friends a photo of smoke coming up over the mountains and said "Just when I thought Boulder was going to make it through 2021 with no smoke!"

Fast forward 30 minutes, and we were in the car, watching our neighbor Mike Dempsey kick in another neighbor's door to rescue their German Shepherd before we evacuated Old Town Superior, not knowing that the goodbye was forever. It happened so fast that we received no emergency notification and were already dashing to the car through the ash and smoke when we saw police going door to door. While Colorado is no stranger to fires, I could never have anticipated this happening to our community in south Boulder county. The hurricane force winds and drought were a recipe for disaster after a grass fire somehow sparked.

Yesterday, New Years Eve, we were still holding out hope. We finally saw aerial footage with what looked like our neighborhood on the news. After pausing, rewinding, pausing, and zooming in, we saw that our home, our neighbors Mike Dempsey and Brendan Kadey's home, and Andrew's studio space are completely gone. Almost all of Superior is burned. The hotel that my parents were staying in two days before the Marshall fire is completely gone. We had planned to build our lives in this truly wonderful and beautiful community. We're in shock that everything can be gone in such a short amount of time.

However, we were home when everything started happening, and all that matters is that we made it out safely with our animals. We are eternally grateful that we do not have to go through this alone. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for any support, whether you are able to donate absolutely any amount or even just share our story. We are overwhelmed by the love we have received so far and are so thankful to be surrounded by the best family, friends, and communities that anyone could ask for.

Below is a photo of our home and studio and photos and videos I took as it happened (including Mike Dempsey rescuing our neighbor's German Shepherd). We are so thankful for our friends, family, and the communities that surround us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for absolutely any form of support, from donations, to sharing our story, and to the kind words of encouragement and love.
GoFundMe:
gofund.me/71203b81
or to donate directly, Venmo:
@Sarah-Nalley
Thank you,
Sarah, Andrew, and io

From Andrew Norris Thompson:

LONG POST ALERT:
Photo descriptions
1. ‘Ka Like a Wind/ The Painting That Doesn’t Exist’
2&3. Aerial photos taken in the aftermath of the Marshall fire of our block.
4. Video on Mike Dempsey being the hero he is.

Well, friends. This hurts. A little backstory: In 2019, Sarah Nalley and I decided to move in together and Mike Dempsey told us the house next door to his was opening up. It was the perfect spot for a couple, better rent than almost any place that size in Boulder county AND I got repurpose the garage in Mike’s backyard into an art studio. I put in a ton of work and a sizable chunk of my own money patching, tearing out and re-insulating the roof, cleaning out the inside and making it a great place to create paintings. Having Mike as a neighbor was a dream come true. He is a steadfast supporter of artists on top of being one of the most caring, considerate and kind people I have ever met.

Fast forward to 12/30/21 when a freak windstorm carried fire across a field of dry, tall grass and into Old Town Superior where we stayed. When the sun started to be covered by the smoke I called Mike to tell him we were about to pack up and he was already ahead of me. A very special and heartfelt thanks to Sean Tanner for alerting Mike, giving us an opportunity to secure some art for saving.

This painting was unfortunately left behind. My newest, and possibly favorite painting of mine. This is the best photo I have of it. It doesn’t actually exist. Aside from being ejected from our Edenic living situation, losing this hurts the most. It was my favorite. The little campfire scene in the orb… oof. I wish I’d have grabbed it. It would’ve probably taken flight with the 100mph winds but I could’ve tried. I lost nine others as well as countless WIPs that day. Bobby Kruse Logan Walden Lightfoot Jack William I’m so sorry but our collabs are gone. It all happened so fast.

We are safe and sound at Mike’s parents in Castlerock. We are being overwhelmed with support via calls, texts, our go funme, Venmo’s, donations and offers of places to stay. It’s moving to say the least. I’m trying to stay on top of communication but it will probably take a week to get back to everyone who has donated, reached out and helped us in this wild time. Deep gratitude to you all. I see you, love you and will contact you sometime soon.

Please consider reaching out to Mike and his roommates, who are also artists Brendan Kadey and Radek Selski. Their Venmo’s are below.
@MAD-house-Art
@radekpl333
@brendankadey

9News interviewed Sarah, Andrew and other artists who were affected by the Marshall Fire. Not only did they lose their homes, but essentially their home-based businesses as well. Any art they had been commissioned to work on, paintings and photos they were finishing to sell, all gone. Ways you can help support them are in the article.

Artists lose home studio, work in Marshall Fire
Madhouse Art Collective in Superior is among countless home-based businesses destroyed by the Marshall Fire in Boulder County.
Author: Angeline McCall, 9News | January 5, 2022

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — The Superior Chamber of Commerce said a number of home-based businesses are gone as a result of the Marshall Fire.

The loss is doubly hard for families who lost not only their homes but also their source of income.

Michael A. Dempsey founded MAD House Art Collective out of his home in Superior. The space was used for him to collect, curate and sell artwork of local artists. It also became a shared space for artists to work and create.

Both the studio and his home, shared with fellow artists, were destroyed in the Marshall Fire on Thursday.

His next door neighbor Andrew Norris Thompson managed to save about four of his paintings. He lost about 30 works-in-progress and nine completed works that burned along with the home he shared with his girlfriend.

The ones that he managed to save, he called “the most precious.”