George Fernandes with his pyrography works on display at his gallery in Thiruvananthapuram Photo courtesy: Nandana Nair
Flora Gallery Still Time. Its walls covered with diverse artefacts tempt you to linger. The longer you wait, the more reasons you’ll find to stay a while. Here, at the corner of Ottukuzhi Junction in Thiruvananthapuram, artist George Fernandez’s home and art blend into one another in a diverse arrangement of paintings, sculptures, mosaics, origami and textiles.
December 17 coincided with her 70th birthday and the opening of her pyrography exhibition, Fired Beauty. Pyrography is a technique that uses hot tools to burn wood to create art. George’s gallery houses a collection of 30 objects created over a year. Each piece is marked by intricate shading and stippling and rendered unique by the texture and color of the wood. His sepia-toned art is inspired by the Bible and natural imagery.
Looking at the cherubs and birds, George talks about his venture into pyrography more than 30 years ago when his cousin gifted him a pyrography pen from France. Fired Beauty is dedicated to this cousin, who died before seeing the works being performed.
George used plywood as well as wood imported from Australia and England for this collection. Some of the woods used in this exhibit include walnut, cherry, and pine. Not all materials can be used for pyrography. For example, it is difficult to make an impact on a wood like teak which is available in abundance locally. Each tree has its own characteristics, and the process of burning each piece is unique.
Pyrography work by George Fernandez Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Impacting softwood is easy, whereas with hardwood the task is more laborious. “You have to work very slowly,” he says, pressing the tool’s metal nib with his palm to demonstrate. “It takes patience.” It takes him at least three weeks to complete one frame. The largest piece in the collection, a re-creation of The Last Supper, took him six months to create.
Pyrography work by George Fernandez Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
He has a set of five instruments for pyrography. When hot, they can be used for line work, shading, stippling or making deep impressions. This is careful work that requires a steady hand. In pyrography, there is no way to fix errors – you can simply start over.
Along with the Flora Gallery, George has also been running the Flora Institute of Arts and Crafts since 1989. At that time, a flower seller facing a shortage of flowers turned to making artificial flowers from cloth to keep his business running. Not only was there a huge demand for her flowers, but she also started taking classes upon request from people who wanted to learn this skill. Since making flowers from clay, porcelain, ceramic and even rice there has been no looking back!
Pyrography work by George Fernandez Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Flora also has a store where you can buy paintings, embroideries and candles. A man of many talents, George is already looking forward to his next project – a collection of Bible-inspired murals.
Fired Beauty is on display until December 31.
published – December 24, 2024 11:54 am IST