Natalie Dodge

My largest piece yet…

Earlier this spring, I set a goal to push my medium out of my comfort zone by expanding into larger sizes of wood and new techniques that would come alongside. Since then, I have completed the Bass Harbor Lighthouse wood burning, 17 in tall by 8in wide. It is based on a moment from my honeymoon just last fall with my partner, Fletcher. We hiked around Acadia in late October and this lighthouse was one of the most peaceful spots during the trip.

While this piece took longer than any I’ve done before (4.5 months), it also challenged the way I approach sketching and planning the piece. I usually am meticulous about the design with measurements on paper, then carefully transferring the design.

However, with the scale of this, I found it was simpler to draw directly on the wood and let the wood control the composition. A paper was useless to this. Once I started drawing, there was no going back. This technique was stressful as it caused more erasing and cloudy areas, but it proved worth it. I could not recreate this on paper and I don’t want to. It is meant to be one of a kind.

I displayed this piece at the Blacksburg Art at the Market and was awarded 2nd place! I don’t plan on selling this piece, however I do hope to share it with family and friends in galleries and exhibits.