In this session Maier explores the nature of fire. His experiments are done using paint on a steel surface , and gasoline and other flamables.
"Fire, indisputably,
has deep meaning and symbolism in our collective unconscious. As one
the four primeval elements along side earth, water and air, fire has
come to symbolize a profound range of opposites, from death and birth,
tranquility and rage, creation and destruction, hell and heaven, to
light and darkness.
A friend of mine recently
told me the other day about her two year old daughter asking "Mommy,
where is God? I want to talk to him." She responded, "Well,
where do you think He is?" The child responded: "In the fire!"
In the Old testament
God speaks to Moses through the burning bush; in the New Testament the
Holy spirit manifests in "tongues of fire"; and in Zoroastrianism
their 'Sacred Fire' is central to all worship. Since ancient times fire
has been used in solemn religious ritual-- candles are lit in mass and
other intimate and spiritual occasions. Native Americans spoke of fire
spirits incarnate and dancing in the flames. And of course, fire has
from the Talmud to Dante symbolized the less pleasant side of the afterlife.
Watching the lithe
dance of a candle or a campfire it is easy to see how fire has gained
it's religious reputations. In the human experience there has been little
else that we have had contact with of such luminous purity and liveliness.
Untouchable, immaterial and in a state of pure energy, Fire moves on
its own accord, with a life seemingly of its own.
The objective of this
session was to let the fire speak for itself. Fire was the subject of
the portrait. Using a simple painting of squares to contrast against
the fluidity and color of the flames, I focused in this shoot on refining
my photographic technique of capturing as vividly as possible the flames.
Experimenting with the balance of fuel, lighting, and contrast this
session represents much technical headway in capturing my subject."
Using the Images
Keeping with the artist's fire painting philosophy these pictures are free for you to use for your own or for commercial projects. Please see terms of use for more details.
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