Pyrograffiti

by Kathleen Menéndez

Pyrography News From Around the World

Newsletter No. 13, Page Three of Three

Far and Near

Contents

Page One:
Tayseer Barakat

Page Two:
Introducing Dan Allnutt and Fran Rehn
Book Review: How to Woodburn Wildlife: A Burning Class in a Book by O. W. Davis
Christian Maraschin, Decorative Artist

Page Three:
The Tagua Craze Continues! A Gallery of Tagua Works by IAPA Members
Update on the Corroboree--It's Sporting a Plinth!

Tagua Nuts with Pyrography--the Craze Continues!

Featured in the last issue of the WOM in detail, the tagua nut seemed an ideal surface for pyrography. Its appeal motivated many members of the IAPA group to try their hand at it. Below (in alphabetical order by artist) are samples showing the results of their efforts.

	Sue Burne
Barbara Cramer
	Cheryl Dow
Rita Ferrara
	Thais Gloor
Bob Morris
	Carole "Burnie" Peters
Donna White "Pyrogite"

Update on Maricha Oxley's Corroboree Sculpture--It's Sporting a Plinth!

Corroboree on Plinth by Maricha Oxley, Australia Pyrography on pine wood sculpture and its plinth Image courtesy of the artist

A what? Please don't tell me you knew what the word plinth meant all along--I definitely ran for the dictionary when I saw it in Maricha Oxley's e-mail. Maricha was writing to tell me about how her Corroboree sculpture was doing since it was featured in the March-April 2001 Pyrograffiti article in the WOM. She later made the plinth as a base for it to be placed on for exhibition, and that is why it is being shown again here as an update. Read below about the Corroboree's success since its exhibition.

Corroboree--a TV Star!

Maricha went along for the ride... The Sydney Working with Wood Show displayed Maricha's Corroboree, which created such a tremendous response that Australia's Today Show taped the sculpture, Maricha, and representatives from the State Forest agency, and aired it on national television. Favorable comments came in from people all over Australia both for the sculpture and for the use of Australian timber. The people from the State Forest agency that originally sponsored Maricha to make the sculpture to promote the use of Australian pine were especially impressed and most gratified. As a result of all the favorable publicity about her Corroboree sculpture, Maricha got sponsorships for her carving group; her students were also involved in discussions and talks; and they were given tools by Arbortech. In addition, Maricha says, "An inventor is rather keen for me to demonstrate his new inventions."

The Author Kathleen M. Garvey Menéndez learned her pyrography techniques in Guatemala in 1975-1977. Her sister, Artist Sharon H. Garvey, later joined her there to collaborate on a pyrography project designed to promote this art form in the United States by means of a didactic book and a pyrography tool made by Navarro of Mexico. Thanks to the internet, January 2001 marked the beginning of the fifth year of articles on pyrography for the Woodcarver Online Magazine (WOM), started January 1997, and the fourth year of the E-Museum of Pyrographic Art, which opened its virtual doors January 1998. In March of that year, the International Association of Pyrographic Artists (IAPA) was formed and members began meeting on line. Linked from the E-Museum's Café Flambé, which hosts the IAPA meetings, is the Yahoo Groups uniting_pyrographers mailing list, member list, and chat forum set up by IAPA Co-founder Mixo Sydenham of Australia for IAPA members.

2001, Kathleen M. Garvey Menéndez, all rights reserved.