Smoke is an element that, like the fire that creates it, can be perceived as good or bad. Smoke on the horizon can indicate shelter and warmth to someone lost in the wilderness or it can be a sign of disaster to those approaching after an attack or storm. In the prairies of the world, smoke is often a normal sight as fire renews the grasses and prevents the invasion of woody plants. It was during the annual spring fires of Kansas that I first saw a column of black smoke laden with carbon rising high into the air behind a heavier column of white, steam-filled smoke. Thus was this design born.
The quote is a shortened version of one by Tom Stoppard.
