Devin McKinney creates art with fire and light — check it out at his Avondale opening tomorrow

Optometrist Devin McKinney likes to play with fire. And while he says he doesn’t set everything around him aflame, he certainly tests his limits. That’s what led to his current exhibition, the dissolving series, opening tomorrow night at Avondale Therapy. The dissolving series was created with fire, LED lights, plexiglass, and paint. Check it out for yourself starting at 7 p.m.

“I wanted to play with light,” says McKinney of his budding interest in creating art. As an optometrist, he’s naturally inclined to manipulate light, and that tendency, along with his affection for fire, comes together in his works. “As soon as I saw the paint crackle, that was it,” he says. That’s when he knew that fire and the right kind of paint could create some really cool art.

This is McKinney’s first ever show, something Fabulon owner Susan Irish (who McKinney met a few years ago), encouraged him to pursue. The show will be up in Avondale Therapy’s lobby throughout March — you won’t be able to miss it if you stroll by at night.

The LED lights that McKinney uses are imported from Hong Kong and they come with remotes so that you can change the light’s color, effectively changing the whole essence of the piece. Here, we’ll show you:

Cool right? McKinney wants there to be a flow to each of his pieces; if you look closely the smaller lines all sort of wave in the right direction, ebbing, and well, flowing. “I’ve got so many places I want to go, I’m just starting,” says McKinney.

“This is what I do when everyone else is in bed,” he says. “I’m not gonna stop my day job anytime soon, but this is a different kind of enjoyment.”