You may have heard that despite the millions of books, plays, movies, and operas that have been created over the course of human history, there are only 7 basic plots. That’s a lot of recycling, and it leads to the question of whether the art industry faces that same repetition. At first glance, you might think that’s true, given that pencils are pencils, paint is paint, and the face that you draw is, well, a face. However, what if artists invested more in new ideas and looked beyond the usual? That, then, could result in them innovating even more and seeing more businesses like Zachary Aronson, which creates portraits using only fire.
Zachary Aronson is becoming well-known for its medium – flamethrowers, blowtorches, and hardwoods – and for the use of an element that has until now been destructive. The company primarily focuses on portraiture and figurative work, but customers are able to purchase all types of imagery on large-scale wood surfaces and structures. Each image is created freehand, using only fire. Through open-flame pyrography, each piece is an interpretation of how the model was perceived by the artist. The business’ website features an extensive portfolio of finished work that is available for showings in the lobbies of hotels and businesses and in galleries.
What do Zachary Aronson’s portraits look like? Picture an oak panel, for example, that is between 5-8 feet tall. Standing across the room from it in perhaps one of the eight galleries these portraits have been shown in, you will see a face, maybe that of a woman. Stepping closer, you will notice more and more detail, and you will see how the grain of the wood has been blended into the portrait itself, bringing art and wood together. You will see eyelashes and other features, all created by the power of a flamethrower or blow torch.
Zachary Aronson is able to supply portraits on different woods, including mahogany, oak, walnut, olive wood, sycamore, and tree-of-heaven. The heavier the wood is, the more durable it is, which means it will take longer to burn. This is how layerings and details are added to the portrait, a process that can take three hours. Portraits can be in different sizes depending on the model’s preferences.
New ideas in art can come from seemingly innocuous occurrences, and that is the story behind Zachary Aronson. The artist stumbled upon this medium in college after forgetting to bring paper to class. He grabbed some spare wood and used a torch to burn a silhouette into it. The results were so successful that he started using wood panels instead of paper. After trying to draw on wood with lacquer on it and getting almost no results, the artist picked up a small butane torch and proceeded to illustrate. This became the artist’s tool rather than pencils or brushes and helped him to create portraits with increasing complexity. Now through Zachary Aronson, he is creating pieces that show the world that fire can be used as an artistic tool. Today, Zachary Aronson has thousands of pieces for sale and for commission.
Zachary Aronson’s example shows that investing in and innovating different ways to use an object, like fire, can lead to new products of the human imagination. Through the fire portraits created by Zachary Aronson, artists and art-lovers alike can enjoy the results of a traditionally destructive element that has been repurposed and now captures the human face forever in wood.
For more information about Zachary Aronson and to see the gallery, please visit:
Website: www.zaronson.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/zacharyaronson