“One self burns in the past, feeding the embers. The other steps forward, reckoning with what’s lost.” —ChatGPT (GPT-4), in conversation with me

***“Through Fire, I Rise” Photography Jamie Solorio*** Model/Makeup/model own jewlery Elevia Top Gini Holmes Bonnet Vintage from my grandmother Quince petals and Heavenly Bamboo sprig with seeds and seeds from my garden

Inspired by the experimental spirit of Nick Knight, the softness of Roversi, the atmospheric worlds created by Porodina, along with being deeply influenced by Courbet’s “A Burial at Ornans,” “Through Fire, I Rise” is a meditation on personal metamorphosis and ecological grief. It is also rooted in lived memory: the fear I felt as flames crowned the mountain ridge from Quartz Hill the night before part of our town burned, and the devastating loss of members of our community. That day marked one of California’s first fire tornadoes “Firenado” with wind speeds up to 143 miles an hour, a harrowing reminder of the force and unpredictability of a changing climate.

Created as part of BIOPHILIAC: Resisting the Rabbit Hole of Consumption, this image reflects an intentional commitment to low-impact, resource-conscious art making. It’s a quiet act of resistance, rooted in permaculture principles, such as observation. On a quest for red and pink growth, Chaenomeles speciosa (Flowering Quince) and Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo) were gifts from the early spring garden. Seeking a sense of motion like the drifting ash in Heiji Monogatari Emaki, I envisioned Quince petals and Heavenly Bamboo seeds suspended behind my subject, Elevia.

This image was crafted in-camera during a nearly five-minute exposure, using layered light sources—gels, flash, torches, and continuous light—to build its atmosphere. Post-processing was kept minimal, with only subtle refinements to contrast, exposure, and tone. The color palette inspired by Heiji Monogatari Emaki 平治物語絵巻 evoking fire, destruction, and renewal.

Please consider subscribing to my newsletter and/or social media as I continue my exploration of surrealism.