Made in NC: Sue Henson Art

By: Bridget Bendezu

 

Portraits are typically done on canvas, but Sue Henson carves hers out of fire.

Pyrography, or wood burning, is the art of decorating wood with burn marks made by a heated pen-like tool. After the design is burned in, it can also be painted.

Henson didn’t discover pyrography until later in life, but as a self-taught artist, she has explored her artistic passion for many years. Henson’s gift for art was first recognized by her art teacher in elementary school, who would ask her to draw pictures to display in front of the principal’s office and paint holiday scenes on the school windows.

In high school, she continued her love of drawing portraits of her classmates’ boyfriends, her first official commissions.

“I always needed to draw, and other people have other strengths, they do, and art has always been mine,” Henson said.

Henson was first introduced to pyrography while visiting a street vendor who creates pyrographic art while living in Los Angeles.

“And I thought, well, maybe I could do that too,” said Henson.

Henson moved from Los Angeles to North Carolina to be with family several years ago. Her daughter, recognizing her mother’s talent, introduced her to WomanCraft Gifts in Carrboro, a cooperative of local artists of which she has been a member since 2022. It is at WomanCraft Gifts where Henson creates and sells her wood-burned portraits of nature and animals, among other local handcrafted items.

“There are so many creative people in there, and it’s just been wonderful getting to know all of the different people that work in here and have their displays,” Henson said. “And just to see the creativity – it’s very inspiring.”

In addition to pyrography, Henson enjoys using all mediums to create art, specifically colored pencils, oils, acrylic and scratchboard. Having a large set of colored pencils lying around the house, she was inspired to find a use for them. She came across the Colored Pencil Society of North Carolina and has now been a member for over 10 years.

Henson’s pieces are inspired by and focused on capturing the personality and everyday moments of her grandchildren and animals in nature.

“It just grabs me, and it’s like, I need to put this down on paper somehow,” Henson said.

Henson believes her artistic ability is a gift and feels lucky that her passion has been passed down to future generations in her family.

You can find Henson’s work online at Fine Art America and in store at WomanCraft Gifts in Carrboro.