Human-made incense symbols

As I gain more control on the technique, I push the experimentation towards more complex/controlled/human-made shapes. Here I worked on some universal archaic symbols:

The Pyramid—This one took a while to make. I cut the incense sticks into different lengths to build the pyramid's structure on paper. Some sticks were laid on top of another layer of sticks to create different burnt effects. It took a few tests. The preparation was a lot more rational than usual (not sure I like that), yet the result remains unpredictable (I'm sure I like that).

I tried using a spiral incense first, but there's not enough space between the lines and it turned out really messy. So I simplified it into a circle to see what happened. It's balanced, almost graceful. It reminds me of a wedding ring. I feel it lacks some violence of combustion. New unexpected colours appeared. Blue, purple...I haven't yet identified if this is due to the paper or the type of incense...

I tried reframing the image to break the balance.

Here is an attempt to draw some sort of arrow/palm shape using bits of incense sticks. It didn't work out very well.

Composition with matches here. I couldn't control the flame as I thought, but I think there's something interesting that I could try again. I really like the dynamism of the objects and the soft edges. They feel light.

I bought some extra-long incense sticks. I had to try them out!

As much as it's useful to learn how to master the technique, I still prefer the essential, primitive, unconscious look of incense burning freely. It doesn't want to be tamed...but it's open to dialogue. That's the space I'm interested in exploring.