forged by fire

stained wood panels, charred wood panels, leather, canvas, linen, acrylic pour • handcrafted + charred shou sugi ban frame. 50 h x 30 w x 3 d original works & biography by Connor Robinson 2023

My identity is a collection of memories that took shape into panels for the construction of who I am. No matter the color or size each panel is layered on with just enough planning for a foundation to be made. my identity is formed from different parts of myself, some constant, some exchanged, some brought back from hibernation, and some created from the destruction of other parts of myself that had to be burned to keep the warmth of my soul alive. Traits I aspire for and those unintended poured over me by circumstances that demanded the development of such traits. The canvas of my character evolving, continually morphing into its new self. Parts of me barely hanging on, flowing with the wind of the world around me, tangled around loosely an identity that struggles to support the weight of the threads that hold together the ideas of myself I want to create.

Though the picture of me is not yet complete, there is still a part that is more like the heart, the part of me I cannot escape is the frame that holds the pieces within. This frame is what takes the brunt of the hate, that burns like a flame directed within. The flame that I burn, the flame that is earned, by the deeds of the world and its sin. The flame is what makes us. We are drawn to it knowing its power to destroy, but in the process also creates. The frame is charred to a crisp but by the flame, its beauty exists. The flame also brings the light, that some choose to use to build onto the identity they hope is right.