Ruth Grint

I am a self-taught pyrographer, having discovered this fascinating art in 2001. I love working with wood, and use chiefly English sycamore, beech, birch, maple, good quality plywood, and also American basswood, which is lighter in texture but burns extremely well.

I have decorated a wide variety of platters, bowls, boxes, coasters, clocks – the possibilities are endless – sometimes with pyrography alone, and sometimes incorporating colour with either gouache water colour or acrylic paints. My boxes are always lined. The finishing touch is usually several coats of outdoor quality varnish with UV protection.

I have a precious collection of books containing a wide variety of project material, either copyright-free or permitted, and these are an endless source of inspiration for what I do.

Until recently my work has been for gifts – weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions of one kind or another, and it is only in the last nine months that I have decided to venture into the open market.

My website is named after the msasa, which is a beautiful indigenous tree, growing prolifically in the highveld savannah of Zimbabwe, which was my home for 40 years. In the African spring the msasa trees turn glorious shades of gold, bronze, orange, copper and a hillside of them is a wonderful sight to see. They represent something of the beauty that I try to re-create in my work.

I am happy to talk to anyone wanting something specific …. or just a little bit different!