We recently connected with Chelsea Kuhn and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Art has been a huge part of my life as long as I can remember. My father and grandmother were both very artistic. I am quite sure that I was drawing before I was writing and my grandmother has saved many of my early drawings. They are fun to look back on sometimes. Wood burning or pyrography, is something however that is more new to me. I started learning to wood burn in 2020. Every year I always traditionally will make my close friends and family hand made gifts. In 2020, I decided I wanted to try pyrography and bought a cheap wood burning pen from Michael’s and some wood from Home Depot. I began burning personalized wall hangings for the people who are dear to me that Christmas. I learned then that I really enjoyed wood burning. There is something so much more permanent and intense to it than just a drawing is. After that Christmas, after the compliments I received from my gifts I decided I should open a shop on Etsy and begin selling my work. Since then I’ve upgraded my wood burning pens twice, and my work has substantially improved. I started to learn more about the technique to wood burning, and there is much more to it than I ever could have imagined. I’ve grown to absolutely adore it. The pieces are so rustic and really reflect the things I truly love in life, the outdoors and adventure. I’ve grown to adore the smell of the burnt wood, as has my husband as the smell clings to my hair.
I have done a lot of research to learn how to wood burn, as well as followed many other pyrography artists on instagram who have taught me a lot the past few years. Wood burning is not easy. I’ve learned that to get a good quality burn has a lot to do by which the speed you move the pen, and by the quality of the wood you are burning on. The wood I purchased from Home Depot back in 2020 for my first pieces was not of the quality I’ve learned to seek out these days.
I’ve learned that mastering pyrography takes a lot of practice and play. And that it is okay to make mistakes, because a mistake is just an opportunity to learn. I greatly think that this applies to many of the other kinds of arts and to life as well. You have to start from square one, and learn. Mistakes are part of the learning process, and many times, mistakes can actually create something beautiful. The first time I brunt a dark night sky with a moon and stars was actually due to a mistake I made when trying to make a cloudy sky. And now the dark night sky has become a trade mark with a lot of my pieces.
I still have much to learn about wood burning, and I love that there is plenty of opportunity to continue to grow and learn my craft and style. Wood burning has opened a whole new world of art and creativity. And it has ignited a fire and passion for art in me, much like the one I had when I was so young. I am so excited to continue this journey and grow into an even more talented artist with time.

Chelsea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I adore the outdoors and adventure. I am one who loves to explore. I have rock climbed, backpacked, and lived in the back country for weeks, loving every second. Our earth is beautiful. I want to live my life exploring every bit of it I can. And I want to share my adventures with everyone, through stories, and through my artwork. I stated college as an art student, actually pursuing graphic design. When I learned graphic design was all on the computer, I changed my major to medical sciences and ended up now as an occupational therapist, following another one of my passions which is to help people.
I still work on my passions for art on the side, now having found pyrography and opening my shop Alpine Ember Artistry on Etsy.
In my artwork I try to reflect my love of adventure and the outdoors. I want people to see the beautiful places I have in the backcountry and the national parks when they look at my work. I want them to feel the beauty that nature has, and I hope that the beauty of these places can move them as much as it does for me when they look at my art work.
I also make wood burnt earrings, which are very light weight. Hoping that women can wear them when they are out adventuring and exploring, all while staying comfortable. They have a rustic feel and often depict beautiful places in the world, just like my wall hangings do. There are not many earrings out there, particularly dangly earrings, that are comfortable enough to hike and explore in, and that is the goal behind my wood burnt earrings.
I hope my work brings back memories of your time exploring the national parks or beautiful outdoor places in world, or that it will encourage you to get outside and explore it yourself.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The goal and mission behind my art work is to encourage people to get outside. To adventure. To explore. To be playful. To be curious. My artwork mostly depicts beautiful places I’ve been, in the national parks and other gorgeous places all around the world.
I hope that it will encourage others to explore the outdoors and find beautiful places, and that it will make them feel a deep connection and make them care about these places and about protecting them and our fragile planet.
I also want to encourage others to explore their craft. Be it a new kind of artwork you’ve always wanted to try, like how I started learning wood burning, or a new hobby, sport, or exercise. It’s never too late to try something new and to explore it and see if it’s something you could get good at and love. Life doesn’t have deadlines, and it’s never too late to welcome something new into your life, or to welcome something you used to do back into your life. I hope that my work and successes in woodburning will inspire others to try new things too.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think that people and society can support artists rather easily. Saying the name of an artist you love in a room of opportunity, sharing someone’s work on your instagram story or facebook timeline. Attending an art show or art fair and talking with the artist about their work and their story. Reading this article, or the many others out there about artists.
Of course purchasing a piece of art or a print that speaks to your soul, but many times support for the arts doesn’t even need to have money behind it. Sharing it, talking about it, feeling it, is also talking about an artist go a long way. The more that is done to get someone’s ideas and artwork into the world will not only benefit the artist, but the whole world. You never know who it could reach, and when it reaches the people it does, it could move them enough to want to purchase the artwork and support the artist.

If you find something that moves you, share it with your friends, family, coworkers, whoever. Share it with the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: Alpineemberartistry.etsy.com
• Instagram: AlpineEmber