All That Jazz!!

 It has been a while since I've posted last.  Apart from cutting my wood into all the wrong shapes and sizes (I had forgotten that I was going to burn a set of chess portraits), it took fresh inspiration a while to juice on through.

Then I remembered that I had also wanted to do something...musical.  And I needed two instruments that would compliment each other, both in their sounds, as well as their composition, layout, and textures.

So I went with the brassy, metallic woodwind (a Tenor Saxophone), and what I had originally hoped to be a cello, ended up being a double bass.

So far, the burn has been going slowly.  First step is to do a wash-coat sort of burn for the double bass and add the highlights and textures later.  I love how the wood grain runs with the double-bass so perfectly.

It gives it such a nice wood grain burn.  I hope to use two different oils when this piece is finished to bring out the yellow in the sax, and some reds in the double bass.

This birch ply is so much fun to work with, and I am carefully planning out my future pieces to offer prints of. It will be an exciting month, when I receive my first framed prints to sell!!!

As always, you can get more updates and the in-depth scoop by finding me on Facebook @ Phoenix Pyrocreations Pyrography.

Also, check out the Piano Guy's latest video!!  Titanium/Pavane!!  It is hauntingly beautiful.  If you haven't already heard of the piano guys, look them up and subscribe.  You'll wish you had known about them a year ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz4MzJTeL0c

As always, thanks for coming, feel free to leave a comment or write, and check out my Facebook page and profile for more details.

Phoenix

The Far Side

 Friends!! Here we have the completion of my Lunar Landscape!!  A Kaleidoscopic view of space, from the far side of the Moon.  No atmosphere or light interferes on the dark-side, giving the viewer, a rather Divine perspective.

As before stated, there are numerous hidden images in this wood-piece.  I welcome any feedback from anyone who thinks that they see what they may or may not see.  In person, this stunning piece is best viewed from a distance.  But as one steps closer, all those galaxies, planets, and stars separate and become a lovely medley of colors.     The pearl in ever speck of stardust gives it a brilliance the camera, sadly, cannot capture.  I hesitate to part with this work.  I hope to offer it in print very soon. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave a comment and follow me on FB!!

Galactic Lunar Landscape

 I have let the Cowboy at the Cross portrait sit repeatedly so as to spot any problem areas that need touching up.  Overall it is a pleasant piece that I must be proud of.  All of my pieces are stepping stones to something better.  It is a learning process.



I would be so happy for some constructive criticism on this piece.


Then I was inspired to do a moon-landscape.  I wondered what the dark-side of the moon looks like.  I considered how the sky from any object without an atmosphere might look.  And I was led to create this piece- a rather dramatic burning.



This work came entirely from the heart.  No reference photographs and very abstract, random pen-strokes.  I let the heart take my hand and go with it where it willed.  And the results were astonishing.  This is probably as abstract as I'll ever go, though I truly love illusions.  I also took the liberty to hide many images in this piece.  I will not divulge the images hidden or their location.  But most of the images can already be found in the night sky.

Working on the moon craters, adding texture.  Establishing the nebulae and layout of Milky Way.  Also added three planets and a cluster of galaxies.

Completion pictures will be posted soon.  I aim to make prints of this work.  And hope to do more astronomy pictures, as well as some astrology works.  

"Let Mama Do It" Hatching Chicks The Old Fashioned Way

Hello everyone, it has been a while since my last posting.  But this post is well worth the wait.  My chicken hobby was just taken to the next level when I let my lil' Babette sit on six eggs.  After 20 days of....patience...and waiting...and thumb twiddling...  well, the pictures and video say it all.  I wont be doing a how-to on raising chicks since there is plenty of information on-line.  But I will say, for those of you interested who came across this, that my hen was not separated from other hens (she was still in the hen-house, just locked away in a dog-cage with a cat-carrier inside)-... ironic, I know) and when the chicks hatched, the other residents did not bother them much at all.  Also, mother hen prefers scratch to chick feed from Tractor Supply, but I keep the chick feed for rainy days when they cannot get out to scratch.  

So, feel free to ask questions through email or comments below.  I will answer directly and quickly.  And please enjoy my video.  

And if you want a day filled with cuteness, here are some still-frames to lift your spirits.  

Cujo Commission Complete!!

At last, the adorable Chihuahua pooch is complete!! And I am very pleased with the results.

One mistake I will remember not to make again, is to oil-color the wood before applying wood oils. (DO it after!)  The oils washed away all the white highlights so that I had to re highlight the picture.

I loved what the oils did for the wood, (and was surprised what it did for an ordinary basswood round) and hope to use it on many future pieces.

So here is beloved Cujo!!   My second dog portrait ever...and one I feel I can be right proud of.  I am always willing to take commissions...but I feel the urge to do a nice chess board soon.  This project has been years in my head...so I don't know where I'll find the perfect piece of wood for it, or when I'll get my hands on it.

If you can, follow me on Facebook and don't forget to look around my Etsy shop Licksoffire for current sale items.  Thanks for visiting. Please leave a comment!

Cujo, the Chihuahua Commission

         So with the 1 hours of me time I get at the end of work every week-day evening, I sat down and spent a little time sketching this Cujo.  It obviously wasn't an easy job since I had only the photograph on the left to go by and I am no good at drawing dogs...and I've never succeed in drawing any canine before or a chihuahua at that... the very word chihuahua is hard enough to spell!!

         But...I think I got somewhere in that hour.  : )  I plan on enlarging my sketch before transferring it to the wood I selected.

          At first I doubted the way I was spelling this pooch's name... Cujo...what an odd name.  So I began googling the name and found exactly where Cujo's owners came up with the idea.  Cujo is the name of a Rabid St. Bernard in a Steven Spielberg Horror Flick Film.  Interesting comparison...the title Cujo to a chihuahua.  I have heard that these little dogs have devils in them.  But I was told that this Cujo was the sweetest natured little dog ever.  I tried to capture that in my sketch and I hope I did that well.


           So with what time I have in the evenings these days this commission may take part of my summer.  But I have a feeling I will have a lot of fun and adventures with this wood-piece.  Growing excited.

           I am starting to make more and more burn videos and set them to music. I don't have a program for making movies so I can't...you know, put it in fast-forward for cool effect but I do what I can.  It makes it entertaining.  Hope to do more of that soon so check up with me on Facebook, keep in touch, and please comment!!

The artist

Rock and Roe!

 My Phlebotomy Certification finally came in the mail!! So I am one proud Phlebotomy Tech....or mosquito. In celebration....I decided to spoil myself, and bought myself something I have wanted ever since I was a little girl.

Cowgirl boots!!  These are my Rockys!!  I was told by an old friend that Justin was the most comfortable, and perhaps he was right...but I couldn't find any Justin boots that were to my taste.  When I first saw these on the back page of my Western Horseman issue,  I instantly fell in love.  These are me!!

I was so thankful to get them at a sweet closeout price...and I'm also glad they still had my size.  Because...the new boots Rocky is making for women... I definitely DO NOT like.   If any of you out there are curious, these boots are very comfortable, and they fit my feet well- I wear 7 and 1/2.  They are so stylish and I just don't want to take them off!!

Now, on to business...  I have finally, finished Roe!!  And he turned out well.  The oil colors really helped.  This was by far the most tedious, drawn out work I've ever accomplished...but I believe the dreary winter blues sent me into a little depression that just kept me from wanting to spend time burning.  It was definitely slow going.

My client tells me she has another dog she wants burned...I may have mentioned this, Cujo.  So, stayed tuned for a Chihuahua burning!!  Thanks for stopping by, check out my facebook!!