Tilia Holmes is a Dorset based artist emerging from a family of specialists and lovers of wood. Her bespoke practice is defined by the pyrography technique - the hand burning or scorching of her illustrations into the surface of the wood, to which she then adds sections of oil paint and often embellishing with light reflecting liquid metal leaf. The four pieces we're showing as part of our Summer Show are all sycamore with a natural scorched edge.
Inspired by trees Tilia aims to capture the abstraction of leaves, branches and dappled light whilst retaining her realism style. Within this style is the delightful opportunity to find hidden insects and birds… so far we have found five goldfinches, a moth and a grasshopper!
Pyrography
"Drawing with fire"
Pyrography, also known as pokerwork or wood burning is a traditional technique dating back to well before the First Century AD, where objects were decorated using fire-heated metal rods.
The art is where marks are burnt onto wood by hand using either a pyrography iron or even sunlight concentrated with a magnifying glass. The metal nib and range of temperature enables a variety of tones and shades, making it similar to illustrating with a pencil. Light woods such as sycamore, beech and birch work well as their fine grain allows an even burn. As handling skills and understanding of the technique develops it is possible to create illustrations with depth and subtlety - adding an atmospheric and poetic feel, which Tilia achieves beautifully.