Nearly every piece of art hanging in my canyon home is something I made. I see things I enjoy and make my own versions of them. I love layered, nature-driven, playful, and completely personal work.
Here is a look at the six pieces — what went into each one and what unexpected materials ended up being the best solution.
“You cannot erase a burn. Every line is a committed decision.”
The Medium
I learned pyrography from my dad, who wasn’t so much an artist but more of a maker. He always worked with his hands and I’m sure that’s where I get my craftiness from. I’ve been practicing wood burning since I was a teen.
I often find unique wood pieces at Homegoods, Michaels, or thrift shops. I love combining the burned art with paint and metallic foils, then setting everything with resin. The burn is the foundation. Everything else is built on top of or around it.
What draws me to pyrography is its permanence and warmth. The natural wood grain becomes part of the composition in a way no canvas ever could — it breathes, it has a specific smell, and it ages in a way that feels alive.
The Work
Piece No. 01
Hercules Beetle on Arched Wood Panel
This piece is one of my most complex — and also the most unexpected in terms of materials. The Unfinished Wood Arch Sign from Michaels became the foundation. The arched shape references framed scientific illustration — the kind of specimen drawing you would find in a Victorian naturalist’s journal.
The burn was done with the Wandart Professional Wood Burning Kit — a dual-pen pyrography kit with 20 interchangeable tips.
The part people cannot believe: the iridescent blue-teal body is painted with Beetles brand gel nail polish and Beetles Chrome Powder. Yes, nail polish. Art supply tip: your nail polish collection is a legitimate palette.
The border combines Barnabas Blattgold Variegated Gold Leaf with Beetles polish and resin top coat. In hindsight I should’ve underpainted the internal frame, but the cracks have a 3D effect now which is interesting.
“Insects are intricate, misunderstood, and more beautiful up close than most people ever let themselves discover.”
Piece No. 02
The Empress — Tarot on Wood Box
This is my most detailed piece to date. The Empress tarot card rendered entirely in pyrography — stippling, crosshatching, fine line work across the entire surface. The crescent moon is gilded with silver foil. Each petal and leaf was burned individually with controlled temperature variation to create tonal depth.
The Empress represents abundance, creativity, and the natural world. I’d love to do more tarot pieces for future commissions.
Piece No. 03
Honeybee Through Flowers — Round Panel
A large circular basswood panel with a leather hanging loop. For the wing transparency I used an unexpected material: Glad Press’N Seal Plastic Food Wrap. Pressed onto the burned surface it creates a beautifully textured translucent effect — one of those happy accidents that became a technique.
For the bee body I wanted a fuzzy gold texture. I applied gold foil then scratched the surface — perfect. I gold-leafed the circular edge to give it a finished medallion quality.
Pieces No. 04 & 05
Love You & Te Amo Hearts
Two companion hearts in completely different visual registers. The Love You heart combines burned lettering with painted tropical botanicals — monstera, plumeria, bird of paradise, heliconia. The plants that feel like Southern California to me.
The Love You heart was purchased by an exchange student who gifted it to his sponsor family. ❤️
The Te Amo heart is bold and folk-art influenced — red poppies, blue painted accents, a more graphic composition. There is a long tradition of painted and burned wood objects in Latin American craft that I find genuinely beautiful.
Piece No. 06
All the Little Things — Wood Burned Jewelry Tray
Piece No. 06
All the Little Things — Wood Burned Jewelry Tray
The most functional piece in this group. A tray you use for jewelry or keys is art you interact with every day. The roses are painted with a looser hand — intentionally illustrative rather than realistic.
What I Used
Pyrography pen: Wandart Professional Wood Burning Kit — dual pen, 20 tips, 0–1550°F. Used on every piece.
Wood blanks: Michaels Unfinished Wood Arch Sign and basswood panels from Blick Art Materials. Also Homegoods and thrift stores for unique shapes.
Gold leaf: Barnabas Blattgold Variegated Gold Leaf — the oxidation patterns do things plain gold leaf cannot.
The unexpected ones: Beetles Gel Nail Polish and Beetles Chrome Powder for iridescent effects. Glad Press’N Seal for transparent wing texture. Resin for the final sealed surface.
The Work Sells
Every piece shown here has sold — the Hercules beetle is the newest work and the first that will hang in the canyon home. New originals come off the bench regularly and go to Instagram first.
For original inquiries or commissions: [email protected]