Background: When a pilgrim first hears a calling, feels a tug in their spiritual world, what is that feeling like in that initial moment? Some may react like the Biblical Jonah and reject the calling. In this pyrographic work though I think of when one acknowledge that this something or place calls to your spirit at a deep level. 

In this work, based upon a picture I took of a pagoda in China from a train, I interpret this as a moment of clarity though not necessarily an epiphany. The pilgrimage begins when the pilgrim acknowledges the calling without necessarily understanding the details of the calling. 

Although minimal, the burnt wood canvas conveys this moment when the calling impresses upon one's sense of self and one understands the path one must begin to walk, the object, place, person, or spiritual being towards which one must orient one's footsteps. Notice how the golden oak wood stain highlights the grain suggesting a movement to the canvas's right side as the burnt wood outline of this hill descends. How does this resonate with a sense of calm acceptance of a new orientation? 

Medium: Pyrography on birch wood with Dixie Belle Chalk Mineral paint,  oil-based wood stain, and polycrylic topcoat.

Size: 12 x 9 x 0.75 in 

Year: 2026