Pyrography Keepsakes

Here's a small selection of recent Wood Art Keepsakes created using mainly Boxwood,  Hornbeam and Yew, and featuring wrap around or double sided designs..

Catching up!

It's been far too long since I posted some artwork on here, and that's largely due to my latest house move..and all the disruption that comes with that. I've certainly not stopped creating artwork, but it's been hard to find time to post across social media. I'm determined to change that though! 

  Before I add a few posts showcasing my latest work, a few photos of my new garden space! I purchased this house, situated in a large town in the East Midlands, especially due to the space at the back. Although not large it backs on to a lovely open meadow,  with grasses, wildflowers and trees..

I moved in, in February,  to a completely overgrown wilderness of grass and concrete, and not a single plant! The place had been left for years, giving me a blank canvas ( and a lot of Bindweed) to work with. So this is my long term project ( and other passion besides art) to create a beautiful wildlife and nature garden.

Every day has so far been a delight, watching bees and butterflies and all sorts of birds, visiting from the meadow beyond, where I also have the joy of watching the rising sun, as the garden faces west..

Pen and Ink Drawing 'Wings over Wildwood'

The drawing features three of my favourite things to draw - big stones, tangly trees and birds! This time it's Heron I've been seeing in my mind's eye..

Pen and Ink drawing 'Walking the Wildwood'

Avatarae

Time for something different.. I've been doing a lot of pen and ink work in recent months..and then a couple of weeks ago I spied my old colouring pencils and decided it would be fun to do something colourful and a bit more intuitive.. the result was 'Avatarae'!

Pyrography Jewellery

Here's a small selection of recent Pendants created from my favourite types of wood - Birch, Box and Holly. These woods are perfect for creating very fine detail, which I do using the spoon tip of my hotwire Pyrography tool..

Pyrography Keepsakes

 Time to bring you up to date with some of the Pyrography Keepsakes I've been making.

I've been making Keepsakes for a number of years now, and have posted pictures of various pieces here and on Instagram, Pinterest, and my facebook page Hug-the -Tree Pyrography, together with descriptions, but of course the information can get buried quickly!

So perhaps a recap of my methods for making these small art pieces is in order.

I want to begin however by mentioning an important factor (probably the CRUCIAL factor) behind the creation of these pieces, and indeed behind all of my artwork, which is the reason for creating it in the first place..

Creativity is my personal spiritual path and practice, and the way I interact with and interpret the world around me. It's me being me, and an expression of feelings and subtle insights garnered through the interaction of my senses with the outer world, particularly the world of nature- a world which brings me joy and happiness.

I've mentioned before that I've never really lost the sense that creating something that has never existed before and will never exist again seems inherently magical and extraordinary! Making new lines on a blank sheet of paper or wood is wondrous and exciting and utterly compelling!

So, creating a new Wood Keepsake begins with impressions received through my sense of touch.

I have a collection of small, oddly shaped pieces of exotic or native  hardwoods, such as Holly, Hornbeam, Box (Buxus) Hazel, Pear, Apple and Pyracantha. They usually retain some bark on one or more sides, and are sliced through or with the grain, or both. The side with the bark will be rough, pitted and greyish in colour, and the other sides will be sanded smooth and will often show growth rings and patterns. Even at this stage, before any artwork has begun, each of these pieces is unique, with it's own history, it's own life and it's own beauty. 

I handle my wood pieces frequently, sorting them out ,turning them over in my hand, gazing at them..admiring them, and eventually I select a particular piece to work on. More sanding, using the finest grades of sandpaper creates the smoothest of surfaces, beautiful to behold and to touch. And now I begin to take in the shape, the colour, the patterns of the grain and allow these impressions to work together to conjure an image. Images may or may not arise - some wood pieces remain in the pile for years!

When I do have an initial impression or idea, I'll visualise how the design might fit and work with the particular shape of the wood piece. If the design is going to cover three or four sides , I need to have a rough idea of where particular elements of the design will look best. The top of a wood slice becomes an extension of the main face. The left and right sides can also be treated as an extension to the main face. Even the base may be incorporated as an extension of the main face, or it may be treated as a separate design.  For instance, if the main face will feature a woodland scene with trees, I may extend the roots down into the base. I often do this, and include a little sleeping mouse or creature among the roots. But I may decide on a two in one design, with unrelated images on different faces of the wood.

Having mapped out an approximate design in my head, I begin to pencil in rough outlines on the wood. I don't pencil in much detail at this stage, just rough outlines of animals and trees etc.

It's time then to take up my hotwire pyro stylus and begin the burn! It's always exciting to begin work on a new piece of wood and I quickly become absorbed in my work as I work around the outlines with my stylus, I always fill in the background first, which is almost always a dark starry sky and very slow and detailed work, as I create the 'stars' as I go..

I often listen to music while I work, and allow other features of the design to unfold by themselves. It's a little like telling a story, making it up as you go along! 

When the background is complete ( which might be a day or two's work) I begin adding shade and detail to the trees and animals. This is very slow work! Because I work on such a small scale, lines for animal faces, fur, paws etc must be extremely fine! The only way to create such fine lines is to use the edge of my spoon tip and adjust the heat to a very low setting. The whisker and fur strokes have to be precise and miniscule with no room for error - the slightest slip or line in the wrong place can completely throw out the rest of the features of the animal, and there's no rubbing out! 

Concentration is absolute. I frequently discover that I'm hardly breathing! But working like this does require frequent breaks. I get up and leave my work space roughly every fifteen minutes, just for a few minutes, which allows my eyes to readjust.

Those who are familiar with pyrography sometimes ask which tips I use. I create my pieces almost entirely using just my spoon tip. I adjust the temperature settings constantly, and I apply wax polish to finished pieces, but never varnish!

The best woods to use are slow growing, light coloured woods, with not too much grain. I use Holly, Apple, Pear, Boxwood (Buxus) Hornbeam, Pyracantha, occasionally Yew and Birch.

The wood must of course be seasoned, and sanded as finely as possible.

It is quite difficult to show photos that really capture the keepsakes - they are best being held and turned and viewed from different angles, but hopefully these pictures give an approximate indication..

This is the base..

This Keepsake features Deer on one side..

edge design

...and  Badger the other side..

 

 

Brindle- Keeper of Firstone

 Here's a recent illustration which forms part of my 'Forest of Dreams' collection.

The collection features a variety of Woodland creatures who dwell within my mythic realm of 'The Forest of Dreams'. Creatures such as Fox Linden, Tashi Owl and here 'Brindle' the Badger. 

These creatures each have a tale to tell and I'm including here a little of Brindle's story...

As Keeper of Firstone, Brindle leads a solitary and secluded life. As a youngster, born outside the Forest of Dreams, he frequently dreamed of Firstone, a sure sign that he would grow up to become Keeper.

When the time was right, the old Keeper, seeking a successor, was guided to Brindle.

Brindle is always here to greet pilgrims wishing to honour Firstone, seek it's guidance or receive healing.

Corvids

 I've always been fond of birds of all kinds, but particularly enjoy watching and drawing Corvids!

Over the years I've created lots of artwork, Pyrography pieces and pendants featuring Ravens and Crows - here are just a few..

Pen and Ink Drawing 'Guardian of the Reef'

 Having lived beside the sea for nearly two years now, my imagination has recently turned towards the ocean in all it's wondrous complexity, diversity and mythologies.

  It was merely a matter of time before a sea themed drawing arose..and here is my first piece of artwork featuring sea creatures and a Mermaid!

  I used my usual watercolour paper and Rotring Isograph pen  for this one, and have named it 'Guardian of the Reef' as I wished to convey something of a relationship between Mermaid and the creatures of the reef where she dwells. I like to think of her as taking on a caring role here...

Recent Pen and Ink Drawings

Over recent months my time has been split between Pyrography work - mainly making jewellery and Keepsakes for sale in my Etsy shop 'houseofthegreenlady', and Pen and Ink drawing.
  Some of these designs I have printed for use as Greetings Cards and gift tags, and some are offered for sale as small prints, occasionally I offer originals for sale.

'ORCA'

'Wanderers'

'PICA PICA'

Pen and Ink Drawing 'Place of Grace'

I'm back to my old stand-by, pen and ink work!
    Fond though I am of bright colours, I sometimes feel that the use of colour in my drawings can add unnecessary complications. Using only black and white does present a welcome challenge to the design and also results in a very traditional looking drawing or illustration well suited to my favourite subject matter.
   I very much enjoyed working on 'Place of Grace' and was quite pleased with the finished drawing.

Pear Wood Pyrography Art Keepsake 'Autumns Tale'

This small slice of Pear wood was the perfect shape for my vision of Autumn embodied in the guise of a beautiful maiden passing through the woods..with golden leaves falling softly to the ground all around her. The night is clear, with bright moon and myriad stars to light her way. Beneath her feet ( on the base of the Keepsake) a hedgehog sleeps..
   Of course, although my mind sees these images in colour..there is a limit to wood, and so I wrote my poem to accompany the Keepsake :
               
                  Shall I tell you of the Moon in a diamond studded sky..
                  Bestow upon you blessings of My Lady passing by..
                  Give you golden leaves falling softly to the ground
                  As the world keeps gently turning
                  In it's endless sacred Round..

'Moonkeepers' Pen and Ink design (with Gouache)

My latest design features a favourite creature - the Raven!
   I love Corvids, Ravens in particular..and never tire of drawing them, on wood or paper.
This design is primarily pen and ink on watercolour paper, with a few touches of gouache here and there. Measures a little less than A5.

Totem Animal Pyrography Keepsakes

It's been a while since I posted pictures of my pyrography work. I create items of jewellery using primarily Hazel and Birch wood virtually eveyrday, and post pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Etsy. My 'Keepsakes' are generally small stand alone decorative pieces which a lot of folk buy as gifts or to stand on shrines and alters. Most of my Keepsakes feature Totem animals, and are made from small slices of hardwoods such as Apple, Pear, Holly and Box.
   Here are just a few recent examples. You can see more on my Instagram page : House of the Green Lady...
    The pieces shown here are all between  five and eight centimetres only...

Influence of the Bay

In April of 2019 I made the move from Nottingham city centre to Morecambe Bay, on the North West coast of England. Cooler and wetter than the Midlands...it's saving grace is the ethereal beauty of the bay, as it curves round towards the Lake District..the ever-changing colours of sea and sky, and the array of bird-life.
   Even in the town of Morecambe itself, one does not need to walk far to enjoy spectacular views and see and hear the plaintive calls of the Curlew, which is fast becoming one of my favourite birds..
   So I'm sharing here a recent Curlew design, created in pen and ink on watercolour paper...along with some of my recent photographs of Morecambe Bay..

Curlew

My Pen and Ink Curlew design