CONTENTS
Page One:
- Kathleen Marie Wilson: Drawing from Nature
Page Two:
- Peter Drewett: His Art and Story, part one
Page Three:
- Peter Drewett: His Art and Story, part two
- Ilanna Sharon Mandel: Peace Offerings
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Clear and Present
Danger |
American artist Kathleen Marie Wilson lives and works in Johnson
City,
Texas, in the rugged hill country. [ref. 1]
What is remarkable about Kathleen Marie's art is how she has integrated
all the aspects of it. The source
of her inspiration is the beauty of the wondrous landscape that
surrounds her. Within that
setting, she explores the flora and fauna, and uses fire to reveal all
those images hidden deep inside
the wood.
Her pyrography "is a superb blending of realistic rendering
within the abstract character of wood grain.
Like a sculptor, she sees the pictures and stories in the wood and
literally draws them out . . ." [ref. 1]
Especially for this article, Kathleen Marie is sharing some
of her newest
works with you. She tells about them in the captions.
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Essence of Tiger |
Kathleen Marie's story is one of survival. She left home at age 16
after enduring a very painful childhood. She credits her love of art
and the solace she found working in art for her survival and her
sanity. It offered a positive outlet for her rage and hope that
things would one day get better. [ref. 2]
Skilled in many art media, she began working in pyrography in 1979. It
was in 1997 that she opted to make pyrography the focus of her art work.
[ref. 1]
In her article entitled An Avenue of Hope: God's Gift of
Art, Nancy Slack wrote:
"She had developed an unusual art form that combined
both her passion for trees and her love
of animals . . .but as Kathleen began attending art shows, collectors
and judges weren't sure what to
make of her.
Why couldn't she use paint like other artists?"
And the answer came back:
'"Wood [burning] is my passion. Painting is someone
else's passion."' [ref. 2]
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Hovenweep Castle |
Her talent, dedication and integral approach have brought Kathleen Marie wide acclaim. Here are a couple of highlights: She was one of only six artists invited to exhibit her work at the 2001 Texas State Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C. Her work was selected by the Kennedy Foundation's "Follow the Dream" tour promoting the creative power in people with disabilities. Her work is now collected throughout the world. In 2003 alone, she was featured in three magazines. [ref. 1]
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Beyond Awesome: The Heart-stopper |
Kathleen Marie was recently interviewed for a television show
called
The Texas Country Reporter (on CBS), which she says, was
all about
the woodburning. Although that show will air only in Texas, Kathleen
Marie believes a lot of folks will see it, so it will be a good thing
for
introducing more people to pyrography.
"Getting out of my self and into nature saves me and stabilizes
me. Those moments when I catch my breath because I am suddenly struck
with the beauty that surrounds me, this is when I feel closest to God.
My art is rooted entirely in love. It remains, as it began, a love of
the subject matter which is nature, a love of artistic expression, a
love of wood and a love of discovery, challenge and sharing." [ref.
1]
To see a selection of additional works by Kathleen Marie, visit her Salon in the
E-Museum of Pyrographic Art.
1. Kathleen Marie Wilson's story, artist's statement, technique, and
other examples of her art work are all available on her own exceptional
website at www.kathleenmariestudio.com.
You can
contact the artist by e-mail at katbird8@moment.net.
2. Linked here is the article entitled An
Avenue of Hope: God's Gift of Art by Nancy Slack. It tells the
story of Kathleen Marie's painful childhood, the solace she found in art
growing up, and the hope it gave her to find God. Note that this
article is also linked from within the artist's website.
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2004, Kathleen M. Garvey Menéndez, all rights reserved.
