In the quiet corners of Calgary, an old artform is thriving — pyrography. It involves adorning wood or other materials with carefully controlled burn marks, creating intricate designs.
Ben Kaer, 33, is a hobbyist pyrographer and spent his early 20s as a sponsored snowboarder.
His interest in pyrography was first sparked in 2003 when he made his first piece while in Grade 7, but it wasn’t until six years ago that he truly began practicing and developing his skills.
According to Sophienburg Museum and Archives, pyrography can be dated back to before the first century AD with earliest artifacts found in Peru and Roman Britain.
It is also known as pokerwork or wood burning.
Kaer says finding the correct piece of wood to work on was extremely challenging for him for the longest period of time. He likes to zone out while burning.
“I’m really into podcasts and there’s something special I find about just sitting in my garage on like, a Friday night, having a couple of beers with my girlfriend while she works on her art and just us spending time together, working on art,” he said.
“It’s one of my favourite moments in the world.”
Using a heated pen, a design is carefully burned onto the wood. Shading and highlighting are done to add depth to the work. The final stage involves adding finishing touches and polishing the piece.
Mark Kaer, an artist and Ben’s father, likes working on another form of pyrography called fractal wood burning. This technique involves using high voltage electricity to burn Lichtenburg figures into wood. However, this is not the most accessible form of pyrography.
“The resin melted in wood is expensive,” said Mark.
According to Kaer, pyrography is a very approachable art form. The cheapest wood burners can be found at art supply stores for a few dollars. Carbon papers can be used to trace images properly using a stencil.
“You take your time on it, and you just take it slow,” Kaer advises.
He further adds that pyrography communities are helpful and supportive providing constructive criticism.
Transforming his hobby into a business was a challenging endeavour for Kaer; however, constantly discovering new designs to work on helped keep it fresh. He now operates an online business named Burns by Ben on Facebook and finds joy in the fact that he’s able to sell his creations.
