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Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and deeply
rooted in the arts at a very young age, Julie Bender is an
accomplished fine artist who is passionate about animals, nature and
pyrography (the art of scorching wood or other natural surfaces with
a heated pen, or “painting with heat”). After spending nearly 25
disenchanted years working in the business world of computer
graphics, Julie found her way back to the fine arts. 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.
One of Julie’s greatest inspirations for her
pyrography is stunning, highly-detailed photographs of animals and
people. She is especially moved by photos with interesting
composition and in-the-moment candidness that yield unique,
thought-provoking works of art, whether it be a beautiful stallion
rolling in the meadow, an orangutan hugging a tree or a portrait of
someone’s beloved pet. She works patiently and painstakingly to
capture a high degree of realism and accuracy that is her trademark.
Her primary joy in producing her work will forever be the unique
challenges that pyrography presents to her as she literally works
“against the grain” to achieve a piece worthy of “fine art”.
Julie’s profound appreciation for animals and
pyrography go hand-in-hand. She has a visceral need to accurately
represent animals to create beautiful, representational art. That
appreciation and dedication can be seen in the lovely maple jewelry
box with a foal on the top, her chosen donation to the Art Auction.
From the May 2008 Pyramid
Report - Article by Rachael Brown |
