As I get older and my body protests more to the things that I liked to do when I was younger, I am finding the necessity to learn how to do more of the things that don’t require great physical exertion. As much as I am loathe the admit it, I am getting old. I am not ancient, not by a long-shot. But, neither am I of the age where digging a hole in the yard for a garden can go without real side effects.
A few years ago, I discovered the art of Pyrograhpy. And, even though Google Chrome does not like the spelling of that word, it is a legitimate form of creating pictures, symbols, etc. A more common way of writing it would be ‘wood burning’. When I started, I was using my inexpensive wood burning tool, the kind that can be found at many Art supply stores and even some ‘super-stores’ all around the area in which we live. It was a way to create my art on a surface or object that might be useful, more than just pretty. An example is a Tarot box with designs or magickal symbols burned into it: pretty and functional.
Then I discovered that there were complete kits for wood burning that had all kinds of tips and more than one pen. Heck, these units even had a button to control the level of heat used! Neat!
So, I managed to make enough money with sales from my humble online (and sometimes real-time) store to buy myself a kit with two pens and all the trimmings! I was, and am, very excited. I had been creating some beautiful things with the simple, primitive wood burning tool. Now, I have the capability to create some very detailed and stunning work. It’s just going to take some practice to get used to the new ‘toy’ because of all the bells and whistles. But, a little each day, small steps at first. I have to walk before I can run, right?
In the meantime, I am going to leave you with some examples of my work using the simple tool. These are Spirit Boards, made from raw sheets of plywood, shaped, burned and stained by me.
ENJOY!
Within The Mists... 