Molten Iron Paintings
On April 19, 2008 I made the first five paintings with molten iron at William Patterson University. I treat the archival paper with a liquid compound of my own creation making it remarkably resistant to the 2800 degree molten iron. The resulting gestural strokes and splashes, my persuasion of the liquid fire on its collision course with the picture plane, creates beautiful and unpredictable marks that not only scorch the surface but also burn down into the depths of the layered paper and plaster support structure. No two are the same, and each one successfully captures the creative moment in a dynamic, spontaneous and visually compelling manner. The molten iron acts as a mark making tool, not as paint, leaving behind complex, scorched gestures that permanently seal the instant of their making. Each drawing bears the marks of the controlled chaos that brought it into existence.
