Michael Carini painting sacrifice by fire at Fiesta Island near Mission Bay in San Diego, CA

Painting Sacrifice By Fire


I've walked through the fire so many times that I'm no longer frightened by the flames. Yeah, I have my fair share of burn scars on my body with even deeper sears on the soul, but still I rise from the ashes and out the other side. I've learned to use that residual heat to provide warmth and comfort for others in need.

Where there is creation in some form, there is also destruction in another. Last night my painting "The Interconnectedness Of Separation (Will I (Will) Return Again)" was sacrificed by fire at Fiesta Island.

My process, which I call Acrylic Alchemy, is based on a principle of equivalent exchange. The essence of this principle is that nothing can be obtained without a sacrifice and equivalent exchange of energy. As such, it was necessary to sacrifice something that I love, something from my hand, so that its energy can be transmuted to a future creation. It's also a reminder that everything in this world is temporary. In this case, the ashes were collected and will be worked into a new painting, one of the very first of a new collection, telling the story of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

I document the experience for the value of its history and to share the lesson, the meaning behind it all, with others on their own personal journeys, creative and otherwise. I'll be posting many more photos and vid clips of the burning on Instagram and Facebook, so make sure you check them out. 


Michael Carini painting sacrificed by fire at Fiesta Island
painting burned in fire for alchemy sacrifice
Michael Carini fire painting and the art of Acrylic Alchemy
Michael Carini and the process of Acrylic Alchemy
Michael Carini artwork sacrifice
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1 comment

Love your artwork and I was sad to see it go up in flames. It will be interesting to see what you do with the ashes.

Mary Posey

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