Custom Burned Guitar

I was contacted by a local guy who is working on a custom guitar as a gift for a long-time friend and band member. He wanted to know if I could burn some customization onto both the headstock/neck as well as a commemoration on the back. I was happy to do this burning and am excited to see the piece completed. My customer provided the instrument pieces, sanded down and ready for burning, which was perfect for me. I've tried my hand at stripping...

Donald Trump – A Presidential Portrait

Donald Trump is President of the United States of America And since Donald Trump holds that distinguished office, I decided a presidential portrait is the ideal theme for my current "Just For Fun" project. It's been awhile since I created a piece on vegetable tanned leather, and I just happen to have some on-hand, so I decided this might be a fun one to work on. I've also been wanting to create a larger piece as an example of my portrait work....

Klaus Mikaelson Portrait

Klaus Mikaelson is my favorite character from the television series' The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. I knew I wanted to create a series of burnings depicting several of the characters from both shows.  It was no contest deciding which character I wanted to burn first! Klaus is the bad guy you hate to love. He is capable of unimaginable evil and viciousness...while at the same time possessing such a depth of personality...culture,...

Custom Cutting Board – Raffle Winner

I belong to several local Chambers of Commerce, including the Forest Grove, Oregon Chamber. They had an annual Chamber dinner, at which they conducted a raffle. I offered to supply a $49 retail value, custom-laser-engraved bamboo cutting board to one of the raffle winners. This board is the piece I created for a co-chamber member who represented Waste Management NW. He created this custom design, which I burned onto a 17"W x 12"H bamboo cutting...

Two Little Girl Jewelry Boxes

I was contacted by a local guy who was making two essentially identical boxes that he was going to turn into jewelry boxes as gifts for his girlfriend's two daughters. He knew the images he wanted to use and the font style. So, I just had to put those together in a pleasing layout. He is a woodworker himself, so brought these to me as solid blocks of wood that he planned to finish and turn into boxes after I completed the customization. These...

Severus Snape Portrait

Snape is my favorite character from the Harry Potter series. I guess I must have a soft place in my heart for the supposed "villain"...at least in some stories. Throughout almost the entire Harry Potter saga we are led to believe that Severus is someone to be feared. That he is a "bad guy" and out to get Harry and his friends. But in the end, we discover that he is really the ultimate good guy. I wanted to find an image of his character that...

Girlfriend Gun

It was the first week of December 2017 when Ben contacted me wanting a custom burned rifle stock for his girlfriend...in time for Christmas! I had never worked on gun stocks before...but I was excited by the challenge! I told him that as long as he could deliver it to me with all of the finish removed and sanded down smooth before I got started I thought I could get it done for him in time. And I did! I worked with him to find just the right...

Cedar Plank Wedding Guest Registry

This is a really cool idea! I was contacted a few days ago by a local Portland dad who was looking for a pyrographer who could burn the first names and year of his son and daughter-in-law-to-be's wedding with a little leaf-work around the edges onto a large (36.5"L x 17.5W x 2"H), natural-edge cedar plank they had purchased. And what are the groom and bride-to-be going to do with this plank? They plan to use it as a Guest Book, of sorts, for...