Five years ago, Amarillo artist Amy Thoennes was experimenting with her art supplies and lit alcohol-based ink on fire. The stunning visual results lit another kind of fire within her. She has since created hundreds of pieces by applying fire to ink on glass, and today is represented by Cerulean Gallery here in Amarillo and in Dallas.

“I discovered the ink is flammable,” she says. “The way the fire interacts with the ink creates interesting effects that captivate me.” Though her vibrant, abstract art definitely takes on recognizable shapes—from flowers to wings—she loves the flow and unpredictability.

“It’s almost magic when something spectacular appears,” she says.

According to her artist page at Cerulean Gallery’s website, Thoennes hopes “to stir body, soul and spirit and demonstrate that beautiful things emerge from the fires of life.”

See her work at theceruleangallery.com and on Instagram at @amythoennesart.