Janet M. McDonald - Artist - New Zealand
Pyrography - Wood Burning Art
Pyrography is how a design is put onto the wood. This craft has been done on timber since the Middle Ages when hot metal pokers were heated in a fire and then designs burnt into timber. A new poker had to be used every couple of minutes once the heat released itself from the tool into the wood.
Bowls, drinking goblets, kitchen utensils and furniture etc were embellished. These day a hand held metal wire with a cool handle is continually heated and the design is burnt into the wood by hand.
Unlike stitching if you make a mistake while burning you can not unpick the mistake. So a steady hand and concentration is needed.
Bowls, drinking goblets, kitchen utensils and furniture etc were embellished. These day a hand held metal wire with a cool handle is continually heated and the design is burnt into the wood by hand.
Unlike stitching if you make a mistake while burning you can not unpick the mistake. So a steady hand and concentration is needed.
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I turned his pot stand and then designed grapes and bees and burnt it. 28cm wide.
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I designed the layout of the celtic border with the Clan Anderson Crest. Done on Kauri timber. Also the Heenan Coat of Arms.
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I burnt and designed this standard sized ukulele.
A turned dish I burnt my own designs of bees and honey comb on it. Also gold metallic paint. 9cm wide. Macrocarpa wood. 19cm wide.
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I turned this bowl and did pyrography owls and acorns on it.
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The egg cup below I turned on a lathe, but I decided it looked more like a mini goblet. So I did this pyrography design onto it and added some copper leaf. 8.5cm tall.
Wood turned Kauri plate below is 15cm wide. Pyrography, copper leaf, acrylic paint. Janet’s original design.
The koru (fern frond) in New Zealand Maori culture is a sign of new life and growth. In my design, the woven thread through the koru shows the life force of a person. The sections in the koru show life is an evolution of parts that have layers to each stage. The background is based on a kete (woven flax basket). It is believed that our knowledge learnt in life is stored in our own internal kete.
The koru (fern frond) in New Zealand Maori culture is a sign of new life and growth. In my design, the woven thread through the koru shows the life force of a person. The sections in the koru show life is an evolution of parts that have layers to each stage. The background is based on a kete (woven flax basket). It is believed that our knowledge learnt in life is stored in our own internal kete.
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I burnt on two feathers and painted gold metallic paint to highlight the wooden bowl I hand turned on a lathe.
The wood is Macrocarpa and the bowl is 22cm wide.
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In 2018 I have started doing woodturning on a lathe. After doing pyrography on bowls and other wooden objects I found in second hand shops, I decided to make my own wooden objects to burn designs onto! I turned this wooden celtic bowl on a lathe myself.
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Wooden bowl
I based my designs on this recycled bowl after the mehndi style of design. 9cm wide.
I based my designs on this recycled bowl after the mehndi style of design. 9cm wide.
