A Collection Of My Pyrography Pieces
Pyrography is a wonderful way to capture the essence of animals. Using short, deliberate strokes I can capture the essence of an animal's fur or skin. It doesn't just look realistic; as I run my fingers across the surface, it almost feels real too. That tactile quality of pyrography is one of the reasons I enjoy this medium so much.
The natural warmth of the wood, combined with the deeper tones produced with the heated tool, give a lovely, rustic, classic feel that really appeals to me. Each of my pieces is signed before being treated with bees wax. The bees wax doesn't just bring out the natural beauty of the wood, it also offers some protection from moisture and dirt. These pieces are not just made to be displayed; to really appreciate the intricate detail, you just have to touch them.
Woodland Pause
Medium: Balsa Plywood
Dimensions: 20cm x 20cm
Woodland Pause came about through two of my four boys. My youngest used to love going to the local park to watch the squirrels play. He would always ask if we could "go see the skreels" - he was only three at the time, he's all grown up now but still remembers watching the "skreels" play. My second son is a talented photographer, Woodland Pause is an adaptation of one of his many squirrel photographs - and a tribute to both him and his youngest brother. I particularly like the subtle difference between the feel of the tree bark and the fur of the squirrel, it really showcases the variety possible with pyrography.
Zelda
Medium Balsa Plywood
Dimensions 20cm x 20cm
Zelda is taken from a photograph of my German Shepherd, she was 14 months old when the photograph was taken - still a pup but very much full grown. As you can see in the original photograph, Zelda was laid down basking in the sun. As a relative beginner I wasn't sure I could get the distinction between her head and her body right, so I improvised and left the body out. Isn't she just a sweetheart? The lovely tactile feel of pyrography really gives Zelda a lifelike feel.
Pachy-Dream
Medium: Pyrography on Balsa Plywood
Dimensions: 20cm x 20cm
Pachy-Dream originated as a sketching practice exercise. No, that's not right. The sketching exercise came about because I have always had a fascination with elephants - at one time I had over 100 elephants in my collection (stuffed toys, ceramics, wood carvings, resin, etc). That love of elephants urged me to try drawing one, which in turn led to me adapting the sketch to pyrography.
Pachy-Dream was created using the same hand-held tool as all my pyrography pieces. As always I used varying heat settings and different strokes and mark making to get the lovely tactile texture of the elephant and the foliage. I hope you like my tribute to these magnificent animals.
Pensive Wolf
Medium: Pyrography on Balsa Plywood
Dimensions: 20cm x 20cm
Pensive Wolf was my first attempt at using pyrography to create an animal portrait. In fact it was my first attempt at drawing a wolf. Just like Pachy-Dream, Pensive Wolf was originally a sketching exercise. I found a sketch on a free image site and copied that (see my sketch below). I was happy with the result, so I made it bigger and put it on wood. As you can probably tell, I hadn't quite got the hang of using varying temperatures to get the fur just right, and didn't quite capture the raggedness of his fur, he looks a little too smooth and "round". He's never going to be a collectors piece, but as my first attempt I think he has a place here.
