The Classic Wood-burned Blanket Chest (front)

This panel, like the hundreds that preceded it, fits like a favorite pair of jeans for me. Measuring 18" x 36", it and a handful of its sister pieces will become the front panels of blanket chests within the coming weeks. I will revisit these chests and post their pictures once they are completed. I have been involved in building these chests, almost consistently, since April of 1990. Nowadays my buddy, Farmer Dave, is building my old chests, leaving me to focus on the pyrography. It is a convenient relationship. That Dave builds these chests better than I used to would be a matter of some chagrin were it not for the fact that he's such a talented craftsman that it would be siliness for me to feel anything but immensely pleased.

I've decided to share this panel while "in the raw" as I feel it well illustrates a point I've touched on in my last couple posts, that of woodgrains and wood-burning. As with the Sleeping Fawn, you'll notice that the grain announces itself rather prominently through the finished burn. This panel is made of a fairly densely-grained pine. While pine generally burns very well, often the grain likes to act fussy. This is especially evident in the background trees and foliage and how they have a rather striped aspect. In the end result, I feel this is of little consequence.

We are working with wood. Rather than canvas or paper, our images rarely obliterate the surface beneath. The wood always manages to assert itself. With this in mind, a pyrographer always recognizes that his vision must coexist and balance with its underlying surface.

We are always looking for that harmonious relationship. Seeking and achieving it is often what helps fuel our love for the craft.