"The Perfect Day" - Billfish Slam on Bird’s Eye Maple

January 10, 2022 by Samantha Hansen

by Samantha Hansen
January 10, 2022

This offshore billfish slam was a piece I've wanted to create for a while.

Since it was a pet project of my own, naturally it was abandoned and set aside for a while so I could finish commissions, orders, and all kinds of other PAID work haha.

Even though it took some time to finish, I absolutely LOVED working on this piece whenever I was able. This is some of my favorite wood to work with, because it allows me to layer on levels of heat, getting the detail darker and darker as I work through it.

THE VERY BEGINNING:

mokie burns art original - work in progress shot of billfish slam on birdseye maple

A LITTLE MORE PROGRESS:

Once I finished the billfish, the real challenge for me began...how can I make it feel completed?? As you'll see in this next shot, I was originally playing around with the idea of integrating a school of sardines swirling around them.

mokie burns offshore fishing art - wood burned original of blue marlin, white marlin and swordfish

In the end, however, I decided to use this piece as a little bit of an experiment, and try adding some white wash to the piece to help make each billfish "pop" off the wood. It also adds that graphic look and feel I always seem to lean towards.

Final Original Artwork - Billfish Slam on maple - Mokie Burns fishing art, wood burning art, pyrography artwork

What do you think of it? I'd love to hear any feedback - please feel free to add your comments to this post!

"The Perfect Day" - Billfish Slam on Bird’s Eye Maple

"The Perfect Day" - Billfish Slam on Bird’s Eye Maple

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