7 Famous Pyrography Artists in the World
Some of the world famous pyrography artists are Selahattin Olceroglu, Dumitru Muradian, Ken Li, Djibril N’Doye, et al. You may also recognize Jordan Mang-Osan, the Filipino pyrographer who uses sunlight to do his wood burning projects.
This article will help you learn about such famous wood burning artists and their pyrography artwork.
More About Famous Wood Burning Artists
Since pyrography is many centuries old, it is quite impossible to know who passed down some of the most beautiful woodburn artworks. But as the artwork got more recognition, many pyrographers became well-known and famous for their amazing burn arts.
And here are some of the most recognized names of pyrographers.
1. Selahattin Olceroglu
- Year of Birth: 1946
- Country of Birth: Turkey
- Theme of Work: Revival of old artwork/history
- Work Style: Burning and shading
Selahattin Olceroglu is a Turkish pyrographer born in 1946. He is an industrial designer and interior architect. Olceroglu was fascinated with art and design from a very young age and was introduced to pyrography in the 1950s.
However, during that time, this art was more of a plain outlining work. And Olceroglu wasn’t impressed by that. So he decided to take pyrography to a new level in his own way. And soon, Olceroglu began burning wood in various ways to gain more shades and tones.
Finally, in 1965, at the age of 19, Selahattin Olceroglu completed his very first pyrography project, utilizing his own wood burning techniques. And now, he is known as the very first Turkish pyrographer that created some of the most aesthetic wood burning art with all-medium tones.
Selahattin Olceroglu usually works on reviving various old artworks from the Ottoman Empire or artworks that were done by European artists representing Turkish history. He does this to preserve the fading history and pass the knowledge to the new generations.
You can learn more about his works in this website.
2. Dumitru Muradian
- Year of Birth: 1953
- Country of Birth: Romania
- Theme of Work: Culture/religion/history
- Work Style: Shading and Perspective
Dumitru Muradian, a.k.a Dino, born in Romania in 1953 and lives in the US, got worldwide recognition for one of his artworks done in 1999. And though he is famous worldwide for his wood burn works, he became a headline when he made his escape during the Ceausescu regime.
Dino Muradian has gained more fame than most artists of his time because of his exceptional pyrography technique, which landed him to work with many famous people. And his famous piece, The Last Supper, was a commissioned work by the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Though Muradian does various types of work, most of his artwork contains religion, animals, nature, and various portraits as their main theme. He is also known for doing pyrography on musical instruments, mostly guitars, and ukuleles. And if you are searching woodburning on musical instruments online and find an image of a pyrography octopus design on a ukulele, that’s Muradian’s.
And what makes his work more remarkable is his technique. Rather than doing an outline or such, Dino uses the shading technique to create his mesmerizing art pieces. And for his own ease, he modified soldering irons in a way that he could use to achieve various shades just by holding them in different positions.
Here’s is more about Mr.Dumitru Muradian‘s works.
3. Ken Li
- Year of Birth: Unknown
- Country of Birth: Indonesia
- Theme of Work: Portraits/cultural movements
- Work Style: Abstract shadings with human figure
The above pyrograph is inspired by a pose from a magazine. And the flower came from the artist’s yard, which presents Hong Kong.
Ken Li was born in Indonesia before the People’s Republic of China was founded. And pyrography artwork is also an exception, mostly because of the theme they carry.
His artwork represents revolutions of time and situation, which is precisely what he witnessed during his time in China. It impacted him a lot more than it should have because his family and relatives were there at the time.
When Ken Li was in college, the Chinese Cultural Revolution was happening. The unfolding of these events and the cultural change they brought greatly influenced his work. If you notice his pyrography artwork, you will notice that most of them contain portraits of women of various ethnicities.
This page tells you more about Ken Li.
4. Djibril N’Doye
- Year of Birth: 1953
- Country of Birth: Senegal, West Africa
- Theme of Work: Life in Senegal
- Work Style: Pyro sculpture/color pyrography
The pyrography projects done by Djibril N’Doye are something that you don’t come across pretty often. Because what he creates is not commonly seen in wood burning artwork.
Born in 1953 in Senegal, West Africa, Djibril N’Doye expressed his artistic work with oil painting or watercolor at first. Then after many experiments, he started working only with ballpoint pens.
Then later, he used a charcoal pencil to draw on larger surfaces. And finally, he began working with a burner machine and various coloring materials. Though not all, many of his projects are beautifully colored and appear more vibrant.
Djibril N’Doye’s artwork usually contains sculpture-like figures, doing their daily chores. Mainly, his wood burning projects depict the daily life of people in Senegal, thus representing a big part of his life and environment.
After winning many prestigious prizes for his pyrography work and participating in numerous exhibitions, Djibril N’Doye sold over 150 of his original artwork globally. He relocated to the USA in 1995 and still actively participates in exhibitions in different countries.
Here’s more about Djibril N’Doye’s works.
5. Roberto Frangioni Piroritrattista Framàr
- Year of Birth: Unknown
- Country of Birth: Italy
- Theme of Work: Portraits
- Work Style: Real life sketches
Roberto Frangioni Piroritrattista Framàr is an Italian pyrographer. He is from Portoferraio of the country and is known for his realistic wood burning artwork. Although the internet does not tell you much about his personal life, you can certainly come across much of his work through his social media accounts.
Roberto Frangioni explores his super natural wood burning skills on various types of wood without limiting his artwork to a few types. From large cutting boards to small bookmarks, he creates pyrography portraits on pretty much everything. And he burns both human and animal portraits on wood.
You can wonder how talented this artist is! Jon Bon Jovi by Roberto Frangioni. One of his works is mentioned in Wikipedia as well.
6. Jordan Mang-Osan
- Year of Birth: 1967
- Country Of Birth: Philippines
- Theme of Work: Hilly landscape and human figures
- Work Style: Glass pyrography
Most of us know that pyrography is done by heating a burner tool that requires a burner machine to provide it with enough electric circulation. But how many of us know that it is possible to harness the power of the mighty sun and manipulate its heat to burn wood for art?
Jordan Mang-Osan made that possible. He is a Filipino pyrographer born in 1967 and famous for his peculiar pyrography technique. He is an Igorot by ethnicity (people from the Cordilleras mountain region), and his artwork shows the picture of his people, life, and many more.
Mang-Osan uses a thick magnifying glass to do the trick. As the sunlight passes through the glass, it creates a focal point. He then directs the focal point to the direction where he wants to burn the wood. The process of his work is quite lengthy, and it can take a few days to a few months to finish a project.
Go to this link, you will love exploring about Jordan Mang-Osan.
If you are curious about to know more about magnifying glass pyrography, this is a nice read. And if you are new to this work genre, this article will help you to have the basic idea of pokerwork, and this one for some easy pyrography ideas.
7. Juraj Jeruska
- Year of Birth: 1983
- Country of Birth: Slovakia (in a small city named as Nové Zámky)
- Theme of Work: Wild life and nature
- Work Style: Hyper realistic portraits
He studied Electrical Engineering in Slovakia. And then moved to Denmark. And returned to his own country ten years later with a passion to create something. His burn arts are actually amazing and loved by millions of people.
Final Words
Many pyrography artists are well-known for their excellent skills in this artwork. But the personnel I mentioned in this article are the superbly famous artists who have influenced many artists over time. Each of their works is unique in its own way, and they tell wonderful tales of different times, cultures, and life.
