Blackened Block To Door Stop : The Perfect Home Addition.
- newemberdesigns
- Sep 10
- 4 min read
In my pursuit to create sustainable art and handmade homeware, I often find myself drawn to the beauty hidden within recycled wood. There's something deeply satisfying about taking discarded materials and transforming them into unique pieces to celebrate the natural beauty around us.
My current passion is doorstops! Crafting them from discarded or recycled native wood. This begins with sourcing wood from various local places and people – landscape gardeners, carpenters, and even friendly neighbours. The wood I receive is rarely pristine; it's often rough, weathered, and bearing the marks of its past life. Some pieces are even blackened from previous exposure, adding to their character. Here's where the hard work begins.
The Artisan Journey
I would be lying if I said the transformation process isn't labour-intensive but it is incredibly rewarding once it is done to re-expose the grain and consequently the new lease of life. Each piece of wood undergoes a series of steps. Bandsawing; cutting the wood into manageable sizes, plus the odd hefty one too, levelling and shaping the form of the doorstop. I will work with the shape where available as you can see if the image below featuring the barn owl. Planing: Removing the initial layer of roughness and discolouration to reveal the wood's magical grain. Routering: Refining the edges and creating smooth, comfortable curves for ease of handling. Sanding: This is perhaps the most crucial step but sadly for me my least favourite element of the process, requiring several sessions of meticulous work to achieve a smooth, tactile surface, ready for the pyrography.
The Preparation Process
Embracing The Wood's Unique Character
My artistic philosophy centres around working with the natural characteristics of the wood, rather than trying to force it into a predetermined mold. I believe that each piece of wood has its own story to tell, and my role as a woodburning artist is to bring that story to life.
Before I even pick up my woodburning pen, I spend time studying the wood. I examine its grain, its knots, its unique imperfections. This helps me determine the best design to complement its existing features. I then sketch designs directly onto the wood, letting the combination process guide my hand. An example of this is shown above in the barn owl photograph.
The Pyrography Magic
The pyrography process itself is largely freeform. I use a variety of tips and techniques to create depth, texture, and intricate details, however I do like to include an abstract style not only in my art but also the composition. This will often be offset rather than the full subject matter, not everyones cup of tea but I'm not particularly conventional. My designs are entirely inspired by nature – native animals, plants, and marine life.
Colour In My Life
Excuse me while I get a little excited about this subject. I have been a woodburning artist for over five years now, consequently colour wasn't part of my remit until the last few months when I decided to experiment with a mackerel tail doorstop by add a I often add a touch of colour to emphasise the uniqueness of the beautiful irredescent turquoise and blue of the fish and to my surprise it really brought the design to life. This really is a hint of colour rather than a full blown statement but does help the design to pop. Now this tends to be added to most of my doorstops.
The Finish
Each doorstop becomes a unique piece of wood art, showcasing the beauty of upcycled materials and the handcrafted touch of an artisan. To ensure durability and longevity, I finish each piece with a triple coat of high-quality lacquer, protecting the piece from wear and tear and provide longevity for both the design and colour. The final step is to add the marine chrome hardware to the top. Not a necessity but I love the silver contrast against the wood and makes it easier to move about.
The Beauty of Nature in My Art
By using recycled wood to create nature-inspired art, I hope to inspire others to appreciate the beauty of our natural world and to consider the possibilities of sustainable art and upcycled materials.
If you're interested in owning a piece of nature-inspired handmade homeware, browse my collection of handcrafted doorstops. Each piece is a testament to the beauty of recycled native wood and the magic of pyrography.
Reflecting on my journey, I see that it goes beyond turning wood into art—it's about admiring and respecting nature. Whether that's through reviving the wood providing a new life for it or the inspiration that nature provides for me to create the art itself. Through my experience with wood, maybe I can inspire others in the creative community to encourage sustainability and perhaps embark on their own creativity.
Thank you for reading my journey in transforming recycled wood into art and homeware. Together, we can celebrate the beauty of nature through our artistry and create a ripple effect that extends far beyond one person's artwork.
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