Julie Bender : Art Ignites - Winter 2007 Issue of Horses in Art Magazine

Julie Bender : Art Ignites

Unbridled Devotion — Pyrography on maple veneer, 18 x 20, by Julie Bender, selected for the Fall 2007 American Academy of Equine Art exhibition.
Julie Bender’s love of pyrography, the art of scorching wood or other natural surfaces with a heated pen, was discovered by shear accident when she tried her hand at burning her dog’s portrait on an urn. Pleased with the results, Bender’s life has never been the same and she has never looked back. After four years of self-taught wood burning, she has decided to focus exclusively on furthering her artistic skills, nurturing her own style and turning this art into her sole career.

Stunning photographs and gorgeous wood are the biggest inspirations for Bender’s pyrography. She especially loves interesting visual compositions and in-the-moment candidness to create a work of art. One of her favorite challenges before she heats up her pens is matching the right wood with a photograph. Her biggest thrill is watching surface textures, grains and inherent natural tones reveal themselves as the artwork progresses.

Bender enjoys the unique challenges that pyrography presents as she literally works against the grain. She states, “There is a certain level of unpredictability about this art which I thoroughly embrace and my customers seem to love.” “My love of pyrography and animals go hand in hand. Everything I love and care about converges and literally ignites,” states Bender. “My art is a combination of left and right brain, heat and wood, a reconnection of past and present, finding passion and purpose in life every day. It’s about appreciating beauty and celebrating life; it is an outlet for my creativity and a tribute to living in the moment, while cherishing the fond memories of the past.”

Julie Bender is represented by Turning Leaf Wood Gallery in Blue Ridge, Georgia. View her work at www.juliebender.com.

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