Wild Pyrography

Pyrography means “writing with fire” and is the traditional art form of using a heated tip or wire to burn or scorch designs onto natural materials such as wood or leather. Burning can be done by means of a modern solid-point tool (similar to a soldering iron) or hot wire tool.

Here are some of my pyrography works on leather. The large format images are generally about 80cm x 1.2 meters, but I also do smaller pieces.

Commissions on original work taken. Please contact me for inquiries

Featured Artwork - For Sale

Sunday Afternoon: Pyrography on Leather, 60 x 90cm R18 000

This piece was inspired by a photograph I took in my early days of 35mm photography. In fact the photograph which I developed in my ‘then’ darkroom I consider my first successful fully produced photograph ie. from the rolling of the film, taking the picture, developing the film and printing the image.

The old gentleman in the photograph had a very endearing quality about him. I had stumbled upon him hunting for outdoor photos one lazy Sunday Afternoon, whilst crossing a property in the Johannesburg high-veld. The man, whom I assume was a farm labourer immediately jumped up to greet me. I urged him to please sit down, exactly the same as he was before. I could already see the image in my mind and just loved the composition with the random pieces of metal behind him perched up against a tool shed.

On later developing the image I was delighted to discover all the fine detail; from the bow tie around his hat, to his proud look through his spectacles, his broken shoes full of character to the mystery key dangling from a chain attached to his belt, to the draped sheepskin over his chair.

Years later I recreated the same image on leather, burning the tones with a heated pyrography tool, which you could say is like a hot pen shaped like a soldering iron.

Title: Sunday Afternoon – Pyrography on Leather, 60 x 90cm R18 000