Zen & The Art of The Extra Ordinary – 'The Fire Of Experience' (#7)

'The Fire Of Experience'

“Character from transformation - Going through the fire of pain can bring out our character, like this piece of burnt wood that seems to shine from a burnishing that fire has imparted on it, revealing it's nature in the underlying cellular structure that makes it what it is. It has been transformed or even transmuted from base wood to charcoal .. a useful substance.”

• by Paul Heaney, from the collaborative book 'In Pain We Trust', Madrid Collection, November 2015.

What I found interesting and beautiful about this piece of wood that I'd rescued from the flames by throwing water on it is that it subsequently revealed a small untouched spot secreted within where the flames hadn't touched it .. the only remnant of it's original colour. This contrasted beautifully with the silvery and copper burnished outer parts. The textures, colours and patterns all work so well together. The arrested process delivered an intriguing and fascinating result.

All images and text copyright Paul Heaney © 2018