I hold a torch lit with flame and look at the surface of the stainless steel mesh. It is blank, but there are so many colors and reflections already there.

I start to draw with flame, as if I am doing calligraphy with sumi ink. The bright tip of the torch seems to be alive. The fire pulls me into its own universe. I am not sure whether I am holding the torch or whether the tip of the flame is holding me.

Fire is moving freely from the center to the edges or from top to bottom, all throughout making incredibly free lines. One by one, irregular lines form, overlapping one on top of the other, doubling existing lines and making burnt holes. I see giant petals moving along the breeze, disappearing in mist and fog, and then blooming again in the bright California sunlight. I hear the symphony of nature, of freedom and passion… of “Life.”

To me, Life is incredibly beautiful. In spite of daily struggles and failures, after all tears and sorrows, I still find this gift called “Nature” to be eternally sweet and soft.

With harsh industrial materials and tools, I am to recapture this sublime beauty, inscribing the ephemeral existence of flower petals onto shimmering metal mesh.

Mirang Wonne

October, 2010
At the Shipyard Studio