Wood Art by Christina

Over the years, I’ve experimented with different types of art.  I’ve tried stenciling, toll painting, water colour painting, woodturning, building small furniture, and now wood burning (or Pyrography).  The thing I find most fascinating about wood burning is having the ability to manipulate the wood to burn a certain way.  You can achieve many different effects by using different tips and add colour with water colour artist paints.  Of all the painting I’ve tried, I love watercolour painting the best… so the woodburning and water colour painting seem to be a natural fit.

While Mike and I were attending the Woodworking Show in Abbotsford, we picked up a Burnmaster Woodburner, a Colwood handle, some replaceable tips, and of course a few books to get me started.  Sue Walters has a great book called Pyrography Workbook.  It’s very complete and covers everything including tool selection, safety, work area setup, timber selection, preparation, pattern transfer and of course, how to use your tools.  She also touches on adding colour with artist acrylic paints.  Can you tell…this was my favorite book!!

Here’s a picture of some roses I burned on a trinket box I purchased from the dollar store. The picture turned out pretty good, but I have to work on the edge border.

This is my third time using my new wood burning tools and I think it turned out pretty good.

As I learn new techniques, I’ll be using my new hobby to make Christmas gifts, including cheeseboards, trinket boxes, and natural edge animals pictures with colour.

If you love to BBQ then you’ve got to try plank grilling.  I tried it myself a few years ago and I’m hooked…my family’s hooked… and all our guests I’ve served it to are hooked

Here’s a few tips on how to use a BBQ grilling plank.

First, you soak the plank in your kitchen sink (a roasting pan filled with water will also work) Soak the plank for a minimum of 4 hours.

Be sure and weight the plank down (a dish filled with water will do the trick)

Preheat your BBQ and season your plank with oil (I use olive oil) Then place your plank on the grill for a minute or two. Then you’re ready to add your salmon.

Close the lid and barbeque on medium low heat until done.   If your plank flares up, spray it with water to put the flames out, but be sure not to saturate the board… you don’t want to stop it from smoking.

ENJOY!

If you’d like to give plank grilling a try, contact Christina

Our grilling planks sell for:

10 pack alder and maple mixed $24.00 USD (including shipping to Canada and the USA)

30 pack alder and maple mixed $45.00 USD (including shipping to Canada and the USA)

100 pack alder and maple mixed $110.00 USD (including shipping to Canada and the USA)

Another thing I really enjoy is painting.  A few years ago I started painting inspirational signs for our home and to give away as gifts.  Here’s a few of the signs I kept for our home.  They’re handpainted on 1″ pine.  The edges of the boards were routered and then I hand sanded them before staining and painting.

This doll cradle was my very first woodworking project.  I think it turned out ok and my daughter loved it… I guess that’s the most important thing

This is made out of 1/2″ curly maple with a 1/2″ plywood bottom. The pattern was cut out on the bandsaw and the hearts were cut out on the scrollsaw.  It was a fun project and was well played with when Anna-Marie was younger (I made it for her when she was 3 years old).

When I first started woodworking in 2001 I made this deacons bench out of pine.  The pattern was drawn on the wood boards freehand and then cut out on the bandsaw. The heart was cut out on the scroll saw. I put it together with wood screws and hardwood plugs.  This was only my 4th woodworking project and I think it turned out pretty good.  Rustic looking and perfect for our country decor.  I also made the skinny bear that’s sitting on it.  The stain is mahogany and dark walnut mixed.

It’s  been another beautiful sunny, warm weekend here in Chilliwack and the BBQ is just waiting to be fired up again.   Here’s another of my favorite planking recipes, only this time we’re using alder grilling planks.

Nothing beats the taste of alder smoked chicken.  The chicken stays moist and takes on an incredible flavour.

Here’s what you need:

• Alder Grilling Plank (naturally air dried for cooking, not from the lumber yard)
• Boneless skinless chicken breast and thighs
• 1 full bulb of elephant garlic minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• fresh ground salt and pepper
• mango salsa to serve on the side

Take an alder grilling planks and soak it in your kitchen sink for about 4 hours or longer.  Brush the soaked plank lightly with olive oil. Mix the olive oil and garlic together. Place the chicken on the grilling plank and generously spread the garlic and oil mixture over the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Close the grill and cook on med heat until the juices in the chicken run clear.  Serve with mango salsa, rice and salad.  I serve this to company all the time and it’s always a big hit

Remember to keep a spray bottle on hand  in case the edges of the plank flare up.

Enjoy!

Well I have to say that summer’s here in Southern BC.  This week our province broke dozens of record temperatures.  The past three days have been 34C or 93F. Last night it was so hot in our office that we went out and bought an air conditioner…and spent the morning installing it.  Ahhh, it’s nice to be cool again.

I know this isn’t woodworking… but it is creating something mouthwatering from wood.

With the warm weather comes BBQ season and I have to share one of our favorite recipes for cedar planked salmon.

• You’ll need a cedar plank (don’t buy just any cedar from the hardware or lumber store, you don’t know if it’s been treated with anything..you want cedar planks made for grilling that have been naturally air dried) We wholesale them at Vedder Mountain Hardwoods for $1.50 each (you can contact me for more information)

• Salmon fillet
• 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed (I use more, but we like a lot of garlic)
• fresh grated ginger to taste (optional)
• fresh chopped red onion

Soak the plank in your kitchen sink for about 4 hours or more (make sure to weight it down with a cup filled with water).   Combine all the ingredients except the salmon. Pour 1/4 cup of the sauce into a separate dish to use as a glaze.

Pour the rest of the sauce into a shallow baking dish and soak the salmon for at least one hour before grilling.

Take the plank out of the water and brush lightly with cooking oil.  Place the salmon on the grilling plank skin side down and sprinkle with the chopped red onion. Grill on medium low heat for about 20 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.  About 10 minutes into your grilling time, brush some of the remaining sauce onto the salmon as a glaze .  Serve right from the plank with rice and a salad.

This salmon is mouthwatering and once you’ve tried plank grilling, you’ll never BBQ any other way.   WARNING : It’s very addicting

Note : If the edges of the plank catch on fire while you’re grilling, have a spray bottle of water near by and spray the flames to put them out.

Mike’s custom electric guitar arrived the other day and the pictures don’t do it justice.  Stan from the Inventing Shed did an amazing job.  The finishing is incredible and it sounds as good as it looks.

The top wood is quilted/curly maple with a thin strip of paduak down the center. The guitar body wood is alder.

Stan from the Inventing Shed emailed this afternoon and Mike’s guitar is finished and on its way.  Here’s a few pics of the completed guitar. I have to say… Stan, you do beautiful work!