Commissions Lined Up

I have commissions lined up and one has a special deadline.  May I introduce the Harney Peak Eagles- being burned in time for March 21st for a special anniversary.  

 This gorgeous piece is of two eagles - talons locked, sailing above the granite needles of Harney Peak in South Dakota, the home of Mt. Rushmore.

I debated weather or not to put the historic fire tower in this picture, but the granite needles seemed a much more dramatic effect than the layout the rocks around the tower presented.  There was too much depth and scope to be captured, a lot of foreground and a sea of background.

The sharp needles however...seem to do this picture wonders and I am very excited to be burning it.
After this one I have a horse commission and then if nothing else shows up at my steps, I'll go back to the cowboy portrait and a nifty little piece of leather I have planned out to burn.

I am eager to try out leather burning!!

Am hoping to turn out some cartoon portraits soon, but my sense of humor isn't...well... I've never been able to put it on paper, pen it, or re-create it in any fashion.  It just comes out, makes the room laugh...and then it's gone.  sighs, oh well.


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Updates is What This Blog is ALL About

Page views have really been down, but then, Facebook is like THE internet for a lot of people now.  I haven't had much time for blogging, but if I may be allowed to ramble for a few minutes I'll just say that:

Jaw Surgery didn't put me behind or out of the mood.  I healed up quickly, swelling went down super-fast, it was the easiest thing I ever did - totally easier than having wisdom teeth removed.  And apart from still being on a broken jaw diet, it's not all that bad.  I can do things like blend up my turkey breast dinner and scarf it down with mash potatoes quicker than anyone else because they have to chew it and I don't!!  I may post a Jaw surgery post in a few days here for those of you looking into Jaw surgery to help encourage you about the path ahead.  I know my life story has always been to handle sickness, injury, and surgery better than everyone else (I always do) but I know there are other people out there who don't and wont swell nearly as bad as I did even and who probably handle pain even better than I do.  So I will proceed to encourage.  It was easy.  Is easy.

My Big boy, Wyatt, a beautiful Easter Egger rooster, passed away in my arms the other day after battling a fowl illness called Coccidosis.  It took him rather quickly and I am very sad that he is gone.  I put the flowers the orthodontist and oral surgeon gave me on his grave.  This has kept me out of the burning mood.

And on Wednesday I went down to pay tribute to a fallen police officer, a man who was killed in action, Officer Steven Green of the Mobile Police Department.  The motorcade procession was impressive for such a sombre time and included sqad cards and officers from surrounding states and counties!!!  I would estimate the procession included 150 motorcycles, several ambulances, firetrucks, Marine police, Airport security, state troopers, Judges, lawyers, state representatives, the mayor, K-9 units, and retired military, not to mention the large group of family, and the wide circle of friends, and then his lovely wife, all mourning the loss of their hero.  I stood there at attention with my hand on my heart for just over 40 minutes until the last vehicle passed.  It was quite a procession and one he well deserved.

Now, on to pyrography!! Yet another client commission is out of the way and I have continued burning the Cowboy portrait.  However, sadly, my camera is not taking good pictures of my work no matter what lighting and backdrop I try, so bear with me.  These are the best representations of my work at this time.

       There is more burn present than what met the camera's eye.  I am about to kill the family camera.  Or...I am apparently, no photographer!!

Thanks for dropping by!! Please leave comments,

One Behind Two More to Go

The Daisy commission is now behind me.  And two new clients have approached me about pieces they want done.  I am very excited and can't wait until someone hands me another adorable Dauchsund to burn.  Most any cuddly pooch will do, but Dauchsunds are truly fun to illustrate.  But then...this was only my first dog.  

Since I know Daisy's owner personally I burned a short message to her on the back of the wood piece.  I am sure she will cherish this piece for ever and ever.

My Jaw surgery is coming up fast and after January 25th I will be resting and recovering so it may be about seven days before I am in any mood to sit at the art table.  I may rest a little longer, but soon enough I will be back at my burning.  

I have spent a lot of time lately sharpening my techniques on the pan-flute.  I believe knowing that I wont be able to use my jaws for a couple months makes me want to play all the more.  

For those of you who do and don't know, I have a Class III malocclusion - that includes a cross bite, and I am very excited about having it fixed.  At the same time I've very nervous, confident in my surgeon, but nervous at the same time.  I will gladly accept E-attention during my recovery. ;)

Thank-you all for visiting, come again soon.

Piebald Dauchsund and WIP

Finally, here is the update!  This is what I have been up to all this time.  I am beginning to dread uploading pictures for some reason.  For one thing it is hard to get a good picture of artwork with the camera I am using (parents camera). 

The Piebald Dauchsund in progress you see her is a commission of a friend.  This portrait is of her dog Daisy, taken directly from a photograph.  Replicating photographs is not easy.  But that's what I'm here for!  So far, this pooch has been alot of fun to burn.  I know her personally and she is so sweet and spoiled.  I feel knowing her helped me to portray her engergy and charm onto the wood.

Next is the Work In Progress I laid aside to do Daisy, the Dauchsund.  This is a Cowboy at the Cross portrait that I sketched on paper in June of 2010 and decided to improve.  I did indeed improve it, tweaking things here and there, and am pleased with how it is turning out so far.  I am struggling to add texture to the horses skin at the moment, as I know horses are so spongy, fleshy, and alot more bumpy than a pencil or pen will often allow you to portray.  The eyesets, and the mood overall are pleasant, contrast is fine but I will continue to work on deepening that contrast.  I like being able to set it to the side for a moment because it allows me to contemplate my next point of attack. 

I hope to offer prints of this work in the near future.  I do not know when the origional will be for sale.

Also, I am now burning on Birch Ply which is very fine for burning.  In fact, I like it better than Basswood.  For any of you pyro guys and gals out there, who are like me and wonder just where in the world can I find good fine art proffessional canvas wood.  I looked high and low, here and there, but the only place I was able to find fine birch ply was at my local Lowes.  But it was fine wood, and a good price ($4.00).  I just had to have my dad run it over the table saw, cut it into three pieces of different dimension.  Cheaper than basswood and an excellent burn, excellent grain.  I just love it!

Merry Christmas and Daisy Commission

         Ran across this video and wanted to share it.  I wont say much because it speaks volumes in itself.  I was especially touched by the little girl's reaction, which was nothing but genuine.  I can imagine it is hard for these children to know that their dad is working far away from them for months at a time, and that he might one day never come back. 

Merry Christmas!

I have put aside the Cowboy at the Cross portrait, visible on Facebook, for a short while as I have been commissioned to do a portrait of a lovely little Piebald Dachsund named Daisy for a friend.  Will post pictures soon.  Thanks for visiting.

The Diamond of India

I have always thought that the women of India were some of the most beautiful women on Earth.  The colour of their skin, the shape and depth of their eyes, their mysteriousness and modesty, everything about them.  Even the old ones, with wrinkled skin and greying hair, possess a pristine look and natural beauty no make-up queen could ever attain. 

Yet we know that India is one of the most crowded and over-populated nations on earth, and in fact, starving- although most of this is due to religious views.  (Recalling the picture of the woman with hungry children pouring milk and cream into a bowl for the rats)

So, perhaps it is their tradition that is causing all this trouble.  If the men had to pay huge dowries for a woman the woman would be treated as though she were worth something and the families would want to have girls instead of boys. 




However, what we truly have is a great pedjudice, a gender predjudice.  If the man doesn't want a daughter...he doesn't want his own wife.  The ridiculous part of this is, the man doesn't seem to realize that by putting women in that position, they degrade themselves to the same level of worth. 

Take a look at these videos presented, and know that the people of India would truly be the most beautiful people on earth, if they would only treat themselves and each other as such.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

It's that time of year again, Thanksgiving and the day following, Black Friday.  I have never attended a Black Friday Jungle event or what they call a Sale.  There isn't alot I suppose I should say about either holiday, it is only the placement of the two that concern me. 

Thanksgiving, is the day we're taught from little on up to give thanks to everyone from God to our friends and family for all that we have and- everything and everyone.  We be thankful, one day out of our usually selfish lives.  On that day of thanks we feast, greedily and selfishly helping ourselves to multiple servings of stuffing, turkey, hams, sweet rolls, pies, icecreams, and on and on.  Then when all the greedy selfish feasting is over, we rush out of the house, early in the morning, with the children and the dog, and set up tent in a shopping center parking lot, waiting for the store to open and the sale to begin. 

When it does we rush greedily and selfishly through the doors, pushing and shoving against our thankful neighbors, contesting, trampling, screaming and grabbing, we clear off the shelves of everything our hearts desires- greedily trying to grab the last DSI or Xbox of Wii Kinect or Ipad before our neighbor can get one.  If they can't hold onto what they have tightly enough, you might not be thankful for what you are clutching in your own hands and snatch the product from them, and then greedily make your way to the checkout.  Then you leave, triumphant at how much money you saved, if not a little thankful...

Those of you who have lost loved ones in these stampedes, are probably a bit thankful that your own life was spared.  It is a shame that a life was stomped into the Walmart ashpalt over an electronic that was then dropped in a toilet (on accident) and ruined just two months later.  Daddy would have lived alot longer than that cellphone.... 

So this holiday we celebrate the very morning after Thanksgiving, what is it?  Is this what our day of thanks provokes us to do?  To fight like wild animals, to herd like jackasses or wild cattle, trampling everything in our path... for merchandise we think we "need", which is in reality only a luxury and not the joy of life.  Is this what Thanksgiving Day has taught us Americans?  To grovel like serfs under parade floats, and grab and claw for merchandise we are fully convinced we must have. 

Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed a holiday when we realized that the pilgrims were thankful to God to be alive, for the land of oppourtunity that lay before them.  They were thankful for the raw materials, as in: The raw lumber and concrete and drywall used to create a house- not the finished mansion.  The materials.  They had uncultivated, uncultured, wild land.  No towns, no tradesmen, no shops, no government, no economy, ... and they were thankful. 

So, my dear Black Friday shopper, consider my words.  Only a hypocrite can celebrate Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.  This year, I will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. 

The artist~