In the wonderful world of wildlife art, Julie Bender stands out for her dedicated pursuit of pyrography, a unique artform using heated tools to create sepia-toned, lifelike images.
“Heat is my substance,” says Julie. “Hot metal tips are my tools, paper and wood are my canvas. I’ve always loved the look and feel of this monochromatic artform, though over years, I’ve discovered innovative ways to expand my artistic vision by infusing color.
“Amazing Grace” 20×24 pyrography & acrylic on maple wood (produced when Julie worked exclusively on maple wood, this burn is accented with acrylic color)
Always artistic, Julie graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Art and BS in art education. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work as a computer artist and later, as a project manager at web design firms. In 2002, she stumbled upon the art of pyrography quite accidentally when her beloved dog died.
“Method to the Madness” 9×22 pyrography & acrylic on paper (vizslas on point with pheasants)
“With no experience, I purchased an inexpensive wood-burner and burned her portrait on one side of her urn. From that point on, I had found my life’s calling.” Still working full time, Julie taught herself the various pyrographic techniques, practicing tirelessly at nights and weekends for several years to develop a body of work for displaying at regional, state and national shows and exhibitions. Then, in 2012, with her work widely heralded, she dropped her 9 to 5 job and relocated to northern Colorado to pursue her art full time and be near the animals she now represents in her art.
Photographing the bull riding scene at the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo.
As a wildlife artist, Julie admits that she spends more time in the field watching wild animals than she does in the studio producing her art. Indeed, observing animals is her greatest joy in life. Although photographs cannot communicate exactly what the eye sees, they serve to document her experiences and play an important role in building her visual stories.
Once the burn and detail is established, Julie adds acrylic paints to enhance the piece. In this case, the chaps, jeans, dirt, dust and sky were added to complete the scene.
“The more time I spend observing these animals, the better I understand and can predict their behavior. All my works are based on firsthand observations. Each outing teaches me greater respect and responsibility for animals and the land they inhabit. My art is a strong reflection of these experiences . . . I am humbled to represent them.”
“Making it Matter” 22″ x 26″ pyrography and acrylic on paper
Once a purist and perfectionist in pyrography, she eventually felt an urge to incorporate color to create a looser, freer feel to her work.
“I guess that abstract realism now describes my style,” she notes. “Abstractionism invites viewers to engage with the artwork on a level that transcends the literal, encouraging interpretations that are as varied and unique as the pieces themselves. Through abstraction, I can express ideas, emotions and visions that cannot be captured through representational art alone, making it a continually evolving and dynamic force in the art world.”
“A Splash of Color” 11″x14″ acrylic on paper (male and female kestrels)
Julie’s art now consists of a combination of media, tools, skills and style that sets itself apart from the traditional media and styles found at many art shows and galleries. Exclusively based on personal observations of wild animals native to the Rocky Mountain region as well as ranch life, rodeos and sporting animals, Julie prefers to stand apart in the world of fine art.
Discovering ways to fuse the inherently detailed medium of pyrography with the looseness and broad stokes of acrylic paint has been her greatest, joy. However, her one constant is how she approaches each piece.
Julie photographing moose, Rocky Mountain National Park, October 2024.
Inspired solely by personal observations, she first pours through thousands of photographs before composing her image on computer. That can take days and even weeks. Next, using pencils, she roughs out the image onto her substrate (usually heavyweight, hot-pressed watercolor paper) and begins to burn her subjects using sophisticated pyrography tools that vary in size, shape and heat level.
“Table for Two” 13×19 pyrography & acrylic on paper (Two wild mustangs foraging on river eelgrass)
Achieving subtle values throughout is important in capturing her subject’s unique personality as well as portraying it accurately. Fur, hair, feather and folds of skin – all require particular attention to come across authentically and must be burned to perfection. Julie then brings out her acrylic paints, and using rather unconventional techniques such as brushes, paper towels, palette knives, sponges and her fingers, she breathes new life into her highly representational images with her signature brand: that is, once the details are there, she uses paints to impart a whimsical style that is celebrated by her collectors.
“Three Part Harmony” 12×16 acrylic on paper (3 singing coyotes)
“When the paints come out, that’s when the fun really begins,” Julie notes. Following no particular “blueprint,” she plays with the work, breathing new life into it and allowing it to evolve on its own until she is satisfied with the finished look.
“Brunch on the Bend” 17×17 acrylic on paper (black bears fishing in lake)
“The burn stage is quite tedious and controlled, but paints give me a reason to get very creative,” Julie says. “During this stage, I gain new confidence as I learn as much about myself as well as discovering new ways to create, and that’s the point.”
In this way, Julie’s work is very personal, as unique as she feels herself.
“Chasing the Clouds” 18×22 acrylic on paper (wild horses splashing wildly through water)
Julie has come to accept the somewhat unforgiving nature of pyrography “Once a mark is burned, its permanent. But painting allows me the freedom I crave after the tedium of burning. It’s all about revealing colorful layers of myself a bit at a time – on paper.”
The blending of media is what excites Julie the most: mixing colorless and color, literal and loose, is her distinguishing thumbprint in her art. It’s her brand, and she appreciates other artists who step beyond their comfort zone to create truly original, innovative art. Seeing beyond reality and into the artist’s imagination is what interests her.
Julie burning on heavyweight hot-pressed watercolor paper
“I love all hues found in nature (browns, greys, ambers, greens), so the natural sepia tone of the burn mixed with a similar palette found in nature best suits my artistic sensibility.”
“Morning Reveille” 9″x22″ pyrography & acrylic on paper (elk rutting scene)
An award-winning artist, Julie has seen her art juried into internationally renowned shows and exhibitions, purchased by museums, and privately and publicly collected throughout the world. She shares her love of art by teaching workshops and remains a proud advocate of pyrography taking its rightful place in the competitive field of fine art.
Contact Julie Bender by phone: (970) 215-4884; by email: julie@juliebender.com or visit her website: https://www.juliebender.com/