Pyr_o is a series of experiments with pastels on various surfaces, inspired by random screenshots taken from the live broadcast — 24 hours a day — of the La Palma volcano eruption in September 2021. A natural phenomenon which, for more than 21 days, became an unceasing stream of moving images, bearing witness to an event as destructive as it was fascinating.
The selected images were digitally processed to achieve intentional pixelation and extreme tonal contrast, reducing them to their graphic essence. However, my aim was not to conceal this process, but rather to make it visible: the transfer of the digital drawing onto paper is not hidden, but is preserved as a testament to the artistic process. This decision reinforces the separation of tones and emphasises the graphic and dramatic nature of the representation, moving away from naturalism towards an almost comic-book-like language, where forms and contrasts are exaggerated to convey an emotion rather than a faithful copy of reality.
The choice of pastel is no accident. Its earthy texture—compressed pigment, almost like a fragment of earth in a stick—establishes a direct connection with the volcano, with the telluric. Furthermore, working with this material demands a careful and unhurried application, a rhythm that contrasts with the explosiveness of the event that inspired it. The ephemeral and violent nature of the eruption is thus transformed into an almost meditative act, where the slow gesture of the pastel on paper becomes an exercise in restraint and reflection.
This series not only documents a geological phenomenon, but also emerges in parallel with an emotional and personal crisis of equal intensity. The volcanic eruption coincided with a moment of inner turmoil, and art became a necessity: a way of coming to terms with, coping with, and making sense of the chaos. The images, gathered live or from news programmes—many of them of limited resolution—led me to a key conclusion: rather than trying to ‘improve’ or polish them, I chose to emphasise their rawness.