When an artist allows you into their studio, you’re entering what to them is a sacred place. It is no different with Zachary Aronson, the only artist in the world to use just blow torches and flamethrowers to paint portraits of amazing complexity. When he offers me a chance to see his collection of more than 100 pieces, I jump at it. His Los Angeles studio might not be what you expect, considering that his medium has traditionally been so destructive. Between the stillness of the studio and the portraits placed so closely together that I can’t even see the walls, I am reminded more of a church, and I step reverently from panel to panel, surprised each time by what Zach has learned to do with fire.
“Most of my work is between 5-8 feet tall,” he says, accompanying me as I look at each piece. “I can, however, go bigger. I have a few pieces that are smaller, but I normally work with large panels.”
While Zach can do other imagery, he explains that he enjoys portraits, his main focus, the most. “What you’re seeing here is largely from the past year, ever since COVID began,” he says, pausing to point out the darker areas of one portrait. “COVID is when I started working with flamethrowers. My pieces got a lot darker and moodier. They’re more visceral. It became less about the person and more about the feeling. As I introduced the flamethrower, part of the portraits became just black, burned, and ash, like you see here. Parts like this represent destruction. You don’t see the wood as much.”
Zach leads me to another portrait. “Contrast that last one with this. This is a newer portrait from COVID, from when the pandemic began to lift. You can tell because this one is a little more hopeful. It is more triumphant and reflects that humanity can come out of dark times. I see my series as a form of perseverance or perhaps defiance in the face of everything we have collectively gone through.”
It takes a light touch to create art so detailed using fire, and I ask Zach where he got his training. “CalArts grad school,” he replies. “That’s where much of my skill comes from, though I have spent the time since then learning about this medium and becoming one with it.”
I ask Zach why he is so attracted to doing portraits vs. some other subject, like landscapes. “It sounds a bit simplistic, but I really like people,” he replies thoughtfully. “Each person is so different and brings to the session their own personality, worries, and dreams. It’s always an intriguing challenge as an artist to capture all of that and to do it in a way that honors the person. Often, though, the portrait is not necessarily a direct representation of the person. Sometimes it’s more obscure or anonymous. The portrait will tell a story, but it reflects the person’s essence, not necessarily their exact likeness.”
While Zach paints portraits for individuals on a commercial basis, he usually hires models to come sit for him and to be part of his greater vision. “They are crucial to my work and to my goal of showing all of these pieces in a gallery. I’ve already shown in eight galleries and done numerous shows. This is unique, and as word gets out about the medium I am pioneering, I’m finding a big audience for it.”
The best art, I personally believe, comes when the artist is willing to take risks. Zach agrees. “As an artist, I push the limits of what we believe is possible. Fire destroys, as we saw with the Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the great masterpieces on the planet. It can, however, be used to create new works of art, and I will continue to delve into fire so that I can see its potential and use it to show the world something new.”
For more information on Zachary Aronson and his ability to paint portraits using only fire, please see:
Website: www.zaronson.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/zacharyaronson
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