Fire Oak Studio

Rebranding

You may notice some changes in the coming months to my website and to my art in general. I have been doing some deep soul searching into who I am as an artist and how I want to present myself to the world. I want to integrate my writing with my art. My artwork has stories and my stories have images waiting to be created. What I have come up with is “Art with Story.”

This is all a passion project for me. Art and writing are what keep me whole and uplifted. I am looking forward to sharing this new path in my journey.

Ornaments

It is that time of year again. Time to crank out the ornaments. All of these are on birch slices. Birch isn’t bad to burn on, The grain isn’t as prominent as say oak, but it is still present. Still, I am able to get some clear lines and details. I do these year round because they also work as small art pieces. During the holidays, I add snowmen and other holiday themed ones to the mix.

As you can see, I have my work cut out for me. If you see one you like pictured here, send me an email – fireoakstudio@gmail.com

Raven Steals the Sun

This piece has been a challenge. I have never used ink stain or the gold leaf before. I am afraid that it might be ruined once I apply the polyurethane. Here is my progress up to the scary last step. I’m crossing my fingers that it wont bleed. If it does, at least I have pictures.

Patreon Adventure

Today I set up a Patreon page. For those of you unfamiliar with Patreon it is a platform that allows people to support artists on a monthly basis. Artists generally give perks to the patreons that support them. For example, my tiers are below –

Seed – $1 or more per month
*My sincerest thanks

*Access to Patreon only posts and works in progress

*Entered in to drawing for surprise gift twice a year

*Access to purchase new art before publicly available

*Ability to suggest prompts for semi-daily sketches

Sapling – $5 or more per month
*Everything in Seed Tier

*One downloadable coloring page per month

*One annual postcard sized print

*Monogramed keychain (one letter) upon pledge – one-time

*10% off purchases on ArtFire and direct from me (email, messaging, art show)

Oak – $20 or more per month
*Everything in Seed and Sapling Tiers

*Small original watercolor/ink sketch or pyrography ornament on signup

*One print of your choice of semi-daily sketches a month

I will still be posting on my regular social media sites, but there will be patreon only posts in addition to my regular posts. Plus, patreons will get early views of new art work before everyone else.

I will also be keeping you all up to date on the ins and outs of being an artist on Patreon.

Steampunk Fun

I’ve signed up for a Steampunk event in Burlington VT in November. So I am currently working on inventory specific to the steampunk theme. While I do have a few items that feature gears, I’m trying to branch out of just sticking gears on it and calling it steampunk. (See Chap hop artist Sir Reginald Pikedevant, Esquire’s “Just Glue Some Gears On It” on YouTube )

Here is some of my works in progress and a few finished pieces.

Summer Inventory

I don’t have another show until at least October. In the past, I might work on a few pieces here and there. Not this year. This year I plan to have a full inventory well before my next show. I’m busy drawing, burning, and listing these days. I post a lot of my works in progress on my facebook page. My Artfire store is growing too. If there is anything you see in progress, but hasn’t been listed on Artfire yet, send me a message. It may still be available.

Cheers

Painter

I got Corel Painter 2017 for Christmas, but have not been able to use it until today. It has been a lot of fun to play around with. I have only scratched the surface of the program’s capabilities. I am really looking forward to learning the ins and outs. For now, I’ll give you a preview of what I’ve done so far…

Cheers

Just a Brief on What’s New

I have been fairly silent on the media front, but that does not mean I have not been busy. Toward the end of last year I did a test run of coloring books. I wanted to see if it was something that might sell. I had a pretty good response, so I am currently working on two more. If you are interested in purchasing one of my remaining coloring books you can do so here.

I am also working on a new plan for how I am going to market and sell my wood burning. I have been analyzing my past sales to see what sells and what doesn’t. The biggest change is that I will be doing more of the fast movers and fewer of the pieces that are slow sellers. This was a tough choice for me. In the past, my plan was to only do pieces that I would like to own myself. Over time, I learned that I was selling myself and my potential customers short. By stepping outside of my preference, I will be pushing myself and improving my art.

I’ll have more updates, tips, and pictures soon.

Cheers

Refreshing an Older Piece

I’ve had one bowl that I have taken from show to show. It just wont sell. Similar pieces have sold, but this bowl just wont budge. When I’m brutally honest with my critique, I would have to say that it is probably because the design wasn’t executed very well. It was one of my earliest pieces. The lines weren’t consistent.

After much consideration, I decided to sand off the finish and give it a refresh. I redid the simple key design around the rim and added a stylized bird in the center. The old design is on the left, new on the right.

What do you think?

Well, back to work for me. Part 2 of my Tools, Tips, and Safety series will be coming soon.