Painted Miniature 'Heron Wood'

'Heron wood' GMR 2015

This little painting, which I've popped into a small brass frame, was created using watercolours, with definition  added using pen and ink, and a touch of gouache..
  Magic is in the air as Heron rises in flight in the midst of the forest..

The Beauty and uses of Pyracantha Wood (Firethorn)

Sprays of cream coloured tiny flowers are followed by berries in the Autumn.

I have Pyracantha growing in my own small city-centre garden, and love to watch the birds feasting on the berries..

This art piece was inspired by the spirit and shape of the Pyracantha section.

This small Pyracantha branch is on its way to being a wand. I believe pyracantha to be both magical and powerful., highly suited to wand making...I have removed all the side shoots and thorns, and stripped some of the bark. I will leave a small portion to retain the character and integrity of the piece.

The wand has been sanded smooth, leving visible the dark spots which were the thorn growth points. I see these as miniature power points, spread along the length of the wand.

I have added  runes.

This piece is strong, characterful, and tactile ...

My finished
Pyracantha Wand

Pyracantha Pendant

Pyracantha Brooch

Two Art Pieces created using Pyracantha. You can see  more on my 'Pyro-Art' page.

The thorns are extremely sharp!

Three years ago when I started out with my new pyrography machine, I knew absolutely nothing about pyrography..or wood, so I just set to experimenting with whatever pieces came my way..and learned through experience. One of the first oddments of wood a came acroos was a small slice of Pyracantha , also known as 'Firethorn'. It is a very common garden shrub, also planted around municipal buildings..almost ubiquitous; useful in the garden as it bears colourful berries for winter colour and also good for attracting birds..still easily passed by without a second glance. If you have a pyracantha in need of pruning you are unlikely to come away unscathed! The thorns are exceedingly sharp, and protrude at all angles..sometimes tucked away in the nodes of branches..and very strong. As it turned out, the slice I had aquired was  unusually large by normal standards - it was a slice of the 'trunk' of an old specimen, about 5.5 cm in diameter, whereas these shrubs mostly spread out with a lot of twiggy growth but not much trunk. I was pleased with the result of this early design, and then went on to experiment with other woods, gradually gaining an understanding of the qualities I needed from the wood as I began to develop my own style. It became increasingly clear that, as with my traditional drawing and painting, I desired to create detailed designs on a small scale..and this required special qualities in the wood. Fruitwoods proved to be good, also Hazel and Birch, and yet three years on Pyracantha remains, for many reasons, my favourite wood. I love it's character and growth style - it is quite knobbly, with beautiful bark, and has to be tamed..due to those thorns! It isn't easy to find larger pieces, but working on such a small scale means I'm fortunate to use garden clippings which most people would discard. In fact, I have not come across anyone else using Pyracantha in pyrography! This is most likely because the majority of Pyrographers work on a much larger scale, so for them pyracantha simply would not be an option. Perhaps you could leave a comment if you or someone you know does so...

Pyracantha bark is grey in colour , with distinctive markings. Small nodules cover the surface in some varieties. Very characterful and eccentric is how I would describe this wood! Perhaps that is why I adore it so!

Pyracantha can be sanded to produce a beautfully smooth surface

It is quite unusual to find pieces  as thick as this

Flora and Fauna from a small corner of Derbyshire ( Belper Parks)

Common Thistle

Belper Parks from the Market Head

Mallow

Purple Vetch

Skipper at rest

The Yellow Rattle is nearly over

Scabious

The Coppice Brook runs through a large meadow where a wide variety of wild flowers bloom

The pathway comes out near the Coppice Brook

Coppice Brook

'Mr Beech' is one of my favourite trees to visit - her is where I found an owl feather just after completing my 'Tashi Owl picture! ( see post from 20th June)

I love the play of sunlight through the trees

Speckled Wood butterfly

Leaving behind the open meadow the pathway winds down through the woods

Meadow Brown butterfly

The large Skipper butterfly is a common sight here

Two years ago I hopped over the border from Nottinghamshire to Derbyshire, two counties in the midland area of England, and came to live in a little house at the top of a hill in a small town called Belper. One of the attractions for me, in buying this house, was its close proximity to an area of woods and meadowland - a local nature reserve known as 'Belper Parks'. This is the only remaining piece of a once much larger Royal Park, used for the hunting of deer and game known as 'Duffield Frith'. The land was sold by King Charles 1st in 1628 and became farmland, before the designation as a nature reserve.

The grasses are beautiful in evening sunlight

  Since moving here I've enjoyed many strolls through the mixed woodland and meadows enjoying all the seasonal changes. Since I'm likely to be soon on the move again I feel it is hight time I shared a few pictures of this lovely spot. These pictures were taken over the last week or so..early July, when we have been experiencing some exceptionally high temperatures.

The view across the grassland from the pathway close to my house.

Applewood Pyrography Art Piece - 'Here I Lie'

Here is a small Applewood slice which I've used for my sleeping fawn design. The creature lies sheltered, at peace and at one with the forest to which he belongs. The markings on his body allow him to merge with the trees and they offer him protection and sanctuary.

'Here I Lie'

Pyro-Art Piece - 'Fantasia in Yew'

'Portrait' view

End detail

End detail

Design across two faces

'Portrait' view

This is a nicely coloured Yew rectangle which features designs on all sides..

Detail from 'Fantasia'

Detail from 'Fantasia'

 I began by rounding off the edges, and sanding the surfaces to a really smooth finish, which allows a high degree of detail.

Running fox on the first 'face' to be completed

Owls fly across the second 'face' , in continuation of the design..

 The first two sides were worked upon to create a 'landscape' design, with fox, and owls..I then used the next two faces to create a 'portrait' design, using the natural wood markings to guide the emerging image..finally finishing with the ends.

This is the piece of wood I began with..