The delicate (and smoky) art of painting with fire
Pyrography — or the craft of making art with fire — has been around for thousands of years. But a new generation of young artists is making the practice their own.
Pyrography, the art of painting with fire, has captured the imagination of Emily Rose Hastie, a high school teacher from the Gold Coast. Her journey into this fiery craft began with a cheese board that her mother wanted adorned with a mouse design. Hastie tried her hand at creating the design using a cheap soldering kit and was captivated by the results.
She now runs her own art studio, where she showcases her pyrography skills and even entered the Archibald Prize with a pyrography portrait. Pyrography has a rich history spanning thousands of years and is deeply rooted in Aboriginal cultures, particularly in decorating possum-skin cloaks. The art form was almost lost to colonialism but has been revitalized in recent decades, with younger generations like Iluka Sax-Williams carrying on the tradition.
Sax-Williams, a Taungurung and Zenadth Kes artist, credits his grandmother, mother, and aunts and uncles for inspiring him. He has built a career around pyrography, with his work earning recognition in exhibitions and awards. Despite the intensity of the practice, both Hastie and Sax-Williams find pyrography to be calming and therapeutic, allowing them to focus and be present in the moment.
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