images courtesy Winston Wachter Fine Art | click to enlarge
Etsuko Ichikawa is a Tokyo-born, Seattle-based artist who creates mesmerizing abstract “paintings” through the art of pyrography. Specifically, Ichikawa removes fiery, molten glass from a kiln as it glows at 2100° F, and then manipulates it over thick paper, leaving scorch marks and burns. The process is something akin to photography, in which light is recorded on film, capturing and eternalizing the immediacy of a moment.
We would encourage you to watch the gorgeous video above, directed by Alistair Banks Griffin as it illustrates Ichikawa’s process. “Ichikawa stands purposefully above the paper, making sweeping, expressive gestures with molten glass on the paper’s surface,” describes Winston Wachter, who represents the artist. “Her performative technique requires that she work quickly and deliberately to avoid the paper catching fire.”
