IN FLAMES

Used materials: natural charcoal from a forest fire, wood ash, pure pigments, crushed roasted coffee beans, parts of charred trees, steel wires and fire on paper in a wooden frame.

Description:

The work "In Flames" responds to the recent forest fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. The fire was started by man, and hundreds of people spent almost two weeks extinguishing it. What remained was a scorched desert, which fortunately nature itself can transform into a new forest. The painting is created using a combined technique on paper measuring 150x100cm using non-traditional materials. The total size of the painting is 160x110cm. For the basic drawing, I used purely natural charcoal, which was created directly during a forest fire. The flames are created using pure pigments - red, yellow, white and metallic. The smoke of the fire is partly created using ash - the final product of burning wood, and partly using ground roasted coffee beans (a natural product created using high temperature). Parts of charred trees are then glued into the painting. The painting is hung in a wooden frame using steel wires. The entire painting is then burned in places with flame. The flames jump over the imaginary boundary – the gap between the painting and the frame and damage the frame as well. They can continue on and on, crossing the boundaries that we set not only for the flames but also for ourselves.