Woodcraft.

Art inspired by the rustic beauty of natural materials.

These pieces are an exploration in combining my love of nature with painting and drawing. I began experimenting with pyrography, blending the tactile quality of natural wood with my illustration work. Some of the images began as wood-burned etchings; others were painted with gouache as full-color paintings before I printed and transferred them.

The transfer technique involves photographing my original artwork, resizing and printing the image, cutting the image out to fit onto the shape of the wood, and adhering the image ink-side-down with matte Mod Podge. After allowing the ink to set for one day, I gently remove the paper with water. From there, the quality of the image is hand-embellished with watercolor and ink to add further depth and definition. After the final touches are applied, I set the painting with clear gloss enamel spray. The final stage is to seal the wood on all sides, in several coats of clear shellac.

Part of the fun in applying artwork to various surfaces is that it can be functional, as well as beautiful. Coasters, ornaments, magnets—it gives art a place to live in our daily lives, and be interacted with. My hope and intention is to generate inspiration through the pieces I create.