Multimedia artist and ArtInventor Von Cotu uses fire and chemicals to paint on large-format photographic film and other media. This proprietary process is called Pyro Chemography.

Because of this unique process, the resulting images suggest alien galaxies viewed through the Hubble Space Telescope, sub-oceanic scenes or microscopic details of an inner world previously unknown to us.

The explorations into this pyro chemographic technique are on a path of their own and may well have extended the vocabulary of the modern art creation process.

"Pyro Chemography reveals a hidden truth that surrounds us on a daily basis, exposing patterns and textures that recur in everything when observed closely.

My images represent the gigantic and minuscule aspects of the Universe we live in, and I feel privileged to merely show what is already there. The outcome of every image is somewhat unpredictable and depends mostly on the physical aspects such as the temperature and chemical materials used at the time. The creative vision and intent forms before or during the process.

I invite you to open your mind and be prepared to experience some very unusual and unique images."

-- VC

Born in 1968 in Vienna, Austria, Cotu showed interest from an early age in auditory and visual arts & design. A febrile, inventive mind has led to the creation of original musical compositions and patented inventions ever since. Cotu left Vienna in 1988 to live in Los Angeles and work in the recording industry, where he wrote and engineered pop and orchestral music.

In 1994, Cotu relocated to Santa Fe, where his art took on new directions, resulting in the discovery of Pyro Chemography -- a process in which images are painted with fire and/or chemicals on photographic film and other media.

Cotu's Pyro Chemographic works have appeared in exhibits, live video performances and on CD covers. Von Cotu's limited edition prints can also be found in private collections and in the VisionLight Photographic Art Gallery.