As part of the Old School Art Collective, I will be exhibiting pyrography boards, platters, bowls, drawers and homeware using a variety of new, found and recycled wooden objects. I’m inspired by the natural world, and in particular the scaly, slimy and slithery. We are an eclectic group whose work encompasses textile art, ceramics, abstract painting, digital art and wood turning so there will be plenty of variety on offer and a wealth of diverse talent to come and see ! Our work collectively reflects a range of themes including ‘The Beauty of Small Things’, ‘Figures and Forms’ and ‘Celebration of Colour’, while my own pieces fit into ‘Tactile Treasures’ and ‘Into the Woods’ which reflect the medium and hint at the physical pleasure of a wooden piece in the hand; ‘The Animal Kingdom’ – my favourite subject matter; and ‘Home Comforts and Interior Design’ which echoes the functional nature of what I make.
I am a pyrography artist who works with new and found objects to create unique, distinctive pieces of homeware inspired by the quirky beauty of the natural world. Pyrography is sometimes described as drawing with fire and I have been playing and experimenting with it for the past three years, exploring the relationship between the functional forms of the objects I burn and the organic nature of the subject matter. I am drawn to the complex tessellated structures of scaly creatures and the sinuous forms of the smooth and slimy, experimenting with the interplay between the organic shapes of the creatures and the manmade nature of the objects. Recently, I have begun to work more with found and recycled objects which carry with them a history of place, time and use reflected in the depth and patina of their surfaces and I am enjoying enriching and sometimes contrasting these stories with my own burned images. I also enjoy the texture and pattern of the wood itself and the way in which different species and treatments respond to the heat. Sometimes I’ll opt for the stark contrast of a pale smooth beech against a dark burn; at other times a deeper toned hardwood only reveals the complexity of the design when it catches the light. I hope to develop my practice further in the future as I continue to play with found and reworked objects and to widen the scale of my projects.