Special Edition almost Complete

               I have yet to highlight important areas of the face but this portrait is almost completed. The focal quality of these pictures here are poor and can probably be better seen on Facebook.  But even there it doesn't appear as good as it does in person. 

              I will be moving on to the light bove his head which I may end up coloring if a very slow burn doesn't bring out the yellows and soft oranges that a fire of this nature has. 

              At the moment my focus is off of woodburning and turned towards and upcoming Concert with a guest artist from Russia, Yuri Rozum.  However, with a few more days I should have all areas of this piece tweaked, calligraphy burned on the left and or bottom and the entire piece sealed and ready to hang. 

              Thanks for coming by!

Special Edition in Progress

       While I've made much more progress than shown, these are the latest updates on the Halo Portrait.  I've since been tweaking the lips as they should have a more pleasant look to them.  It sort of puts a scowl in the eyes and I'm in the process of fixing that. 

        Since you can't erase a burn you must do all the tweaking in the planning, however, occasionally it is too hard to convey all of your details onto the wood and you must recreate it again by hand.  So I am using the actual photograph for reference. 

        I am still a little unsure about how I will portray the amber light behind him.  I don't want to ruin the beautiful wood grain with char marks... so I am considering coloring it as amberish as I can where it will stand off the wood noticeably and not appear like a strange blob over his head. 

         The shimmery luminescence of his tie will be hard to capture but I will certainly do my best.  After all, with my new Optima burner I have plenty of potential within my reach. 

         I've finished his hair completely and moved on the the lapels of his coat.  I will begin detailing the ear soon.  Ears, like eyes, can make or break a portrait, especially a profile like this one. 

         I should say all important face details such as the lips, chin, nose, cheekbones, eyes, eyeset, eyebrows, and ears make the face.  They ARE the face.  Enough said.  Thankyou for visiting.

         Those of you who have come here from facebook out of curiosity.  This is the place to get to know me.  I do not share much information on Facebook for security reasons. 

           I am still new to blogging so please offer suggestions about this corner of the web, let me know if some of my pages up top are too lengthy, detailed, or need more information.  Just feel free to ask questions.  Again, thankyou for coming!

The Halo Picture

            I suppose there are many people who know about The Halo Picture as it is called, of a Pillar of Fire hanging over the head of Preacher William Marrion Branham in the Sam Houston Colossium in Houston TX.  The photograph was taken in January 1950 and authenticated by FBI examiner George J. Lacy. 

            If you are not familiar with this story you may read more about it at this link: (among others)

http://www.messagequotes.8m.net/halophoto.htm

           I was commissioned to burn it in October of 2010 (and feeling more comfortable burning human portraits...still a little uneasy about burning deity) and obtained copyright permission this March.  I have until March of 2012 to burn this photograph on wood and would like to make several special edition portraits available.  Because the actual print in it's origional form and colored as well is readily available I do not feel that I could sell high quality giclee prints of a single burning. 

         Therefore (since it requires an amount of time, talent, and effort to create many individual burnings ...artists generally don't like to burn the same thing over and over and over and over again - in short doing this would be too costly for the average person who wants it to afford it) I plan on only burning two or three.

           We will see how the first comes out.  I can now be found and followed on Facebook, again special thanks to my protective father, and I will continue to post updates on Facebook and my blog (so that some of you who were like me a while back - facebokless, can still follow.)

           I have already begun burning and hope to move along quickly (I hate the thought of boring my followers).  Thankyou for coming!  Please visit again soon when I will have posted pictures of my progress.

Facebook

Dear Reader, Followers, Firsttimers, and Friends,

        With a special thanks to my father who protectively balked and stalled over this matter before finally relenting, I now have a facebook page as evidenced by the badge found on the right hand side of this blog. 

         It is to convenience you facebook gurus who may find following or subscribing hard.  After all, with all the accounts you have to "have" on the web and the millions of passwords you have to provide, things can get a little crazy.  So now it is easy.  You have a Facebook account, you're in.  Actually, I was the one who was a little late a jumping into the pond...but here I am. 

          So don't hesitate to like my page, become a fan of my page, and comment.  Your suggestions and ideas are welcomed as are your visits and comments to this blog- which will remain my art center by the way.  Facebook is only a tool to make it easier for Facebook users to participate.  It would seem that only the bloggers know how to participate much in the blogger world.  Now,...the best of both worlds.

Thankyou,

Phoenix Pyrocreations

US Soldier with Baby

 A couple weeks back, perhaps even a month I had begun featuring a burning of a father and child.  I called it a Father's portrait. 

Since receiving my professional burner I have completed the portrait but I'm not very happy with how it has turned out.  I could see quite early on that the oak was not the proper medium and as the PJL Enterprises guy told me, oak stinks to burn on. 

I have a square oak piece that I will be forced to use but I will definitely use it for a monochrome burn.  Nothing fancy, nothing fine.  Perhaps some silhouette. 

 As for the turnout on this portrait....it could have been better had I not had to fight the woodgrain with it's unburnable areas and it's ditches.  The grains run through it ruining it for me.  It would have looked fabulous on any other piece of wood. 

But the mood still bleeds through and the subject is tender and well captured by the oval frame.  I named the father "Adams" for a reason.  It's doubtful the purchaser of this beautiful piece will be named Adams but regardless it's meant to be symbolic. 

It is for sale on the One of A Kind page.  Feel free to inquire about this piece and pieces like it.  DO NOT request an oak piece...I have a mind to refuse to burn on oak after this...experience.

The picture on the right is of (Listed in order from left to right) : Babette, Clementine, and Susanne.  I am sorry to announce that Dinah disappeared two weeks ago and not a feather was found of her. 

I am quite crushed as she was my little goldmine. 

Thanks for coming and please stop by again soon.  You can write a personal request for a FB page with a reason you'd like to see Phoenix Pyrocreations on Facebook and perhaps my dad will allow it. 

Don't hesitate to subscribe or follow!

Facebook = Outreach

            I haven't posted any of my own artwork in the past week because the only burning I have worked on can't be revealed until May.  Sorry...but I absolutely don't want the recipient of the piece to visit this blog and see it. 

            Now, I do have exciting news for all of you social networking users that I hope will make it easier to follow me.  I talked to my father about getting a Facebook page for my blog.  It was hard to argue all of my points about Facebook's potential and what it could do for me and my readers but he said he would give it some thought.  He may have forgotten so I'll have to bring it up again but if enough of you sign a petition with the reason you want to see Phoenix Pyrocreations on Facebook send a crazy amount of emails with your reason or what you think it will benefit me and we'll see what happens. 

          Besides, I wont be touching that photograph I got copyright permission to without a Facebook page. 

                 

          Now, what I'm featuring on the right hand side is some high school art class exams of my Uncle Joshua's.  This is partly because he got married this past weekend to a beautiful Christian lady who I am proud to call aunt, and partly because these are the very lead sketches that inspired me to push my art to another level. 

          My Uncle's artistic talents have always inspired me, and we both share that inner pyromaniac, the explorer, the artist, the adventurer, the inventor...a Scorpio trait.   I can't say enough about my Uncle Josh who I am very proud to be related to and just thought to share some of his work.  Maybe one day I'll dig out of my attic the horse drawing he gave me when I was just 9 years old.  It inspired me to draw horses better... I love that picture. 

          Every artist needs a mentor, someone who inspired them to push themselves.  To broaden their scope, their style, excersise their gift, and use it for the right purpose.  Congratulations Uncle Josh.  Your wedding was fabulous...I'm taking notes for mine.

....oh, and that tradition of tapping the glasses so the groom will kiss the bride... I'm starting a new one.  Drop five dollars at the couple's table.

North American Bald Eagles

       The Native Americans reverenced the Bald Eagle and the eagle has been used throughout history all over the world as an important symbol: of power, strength, wisdom, and heavenly vision.   

       I can never get tired of watching these majestic birds and was quite pleased to come across this recent web cam video of three eggs hatching.  In this first video you can only see on eaglet pipping through and the time slips in the video tell you that it definitely took him a long time: almost 24 hours. 
       My favorite part is when the male comes back to the nest and communicated with his mate.  It seems as if he gives her a loving peck on the beak, tells her she can take a break, and once she scoots off to go eat he climbs on the eggs and settles down. 



      It was also funny to watch for me because whenever I hold several grey mouse balls in the palm of my hand and show them to my male Australian Cockatiel Jay he will do the same waddle over them ,chirp and move them around with his beak, and try to sit on them!  It is hillarious...something I will have to youtube sometime...or pet tube. 

      In this second video you can't really see much action until a minute or so before the end.  You simply have to adore that eaglet! 


Thanks for visiting and do come again soon!

Permission Granted

       Another exciting announcement dear readers!  The timing has been perfect as usual!  My secret project is laid out on the basswood and ready to burn.  I plan on beginning burning it today and taking pictures along the way.  Unfortunately you wont see the pictures posted here until the middle of May.  My Optima burner came early allowing me to get started as soon as possible.  And do I need every spare moment to work on it.

       But the more exciting news!  I have been granted permission to burn "The Halo Picture" for one year's time.  Since October of last year the plans for this portrait have sat sketched out on a piece of basswood, awaiting that important letter to arrive in the mail.  I thought it would never come but I'm glad it came when it did because...  it came just three days after I recieved the professional iron needed to burn such an important portrait. 

      Had it come earlier I might have attempted it with that sorry Walnut Hollow craft iron and ruined it entirely! 

 The Next bit of awesome news is the arrival of my proudly won Espirit model!  Which came in the mail today. 

 He is simply gorgeous.  A horse I am proud to own...and only wish that I could breathe a breath of life into him...  (sigh)  Some of the pictures do not do him justice.

 I suppose I should share my Breyer story here.  This is my first and only Traditional model.  I always collected the Classics because that was the best I could afford. 

I'm a realist.  I HATE littlest pet shop creatures.  They simply give me the creeps.  I HATE ponies with fairy wings and stars in their eyes, pastel colored hair...glitter hooves.  So as a child I searched the Walmart toy section shelves for horses that were almost as real as the real thing!  And one day I stumbled across something new in that aisle.  Something labeled Breyer Reeves.  I didn't care much about the label until I desired more of them.  These horses were BEAUTIFUL! 

 Now I am the proud owner of an Espirit model... one decade later. 

     

Thankyou for coming and check back soon as I will have updates on both projects as they come along. 

Please remember to comment and follow if you aren't already!