Today we’d like to introduce you to Basia Chmielowiec.
Hi Basia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started wood burning by chance. I was given a machine and asked to do a project on a bus that was being transformed into a mobile party platform. I couldn’t say no to the opportunity, even though back in 2010 I had never even heard of the craft. I was immediately hooked. Pyrography is very satisfying and asks you to slow down and be present with what you’re making. In this craft I found peace of mind and that became the foundation of my own work and everything I teach today.
For about five years I worked alongside Rachel Strauss building Wood Burn Corner. When her family moved across the world and she could no longer commit to it, I took it over and made it my own. I started Burn Club on Discord: a space where artists could get to know each other, share their work, join in on challenges, experiment and ask questions without worrying about perfection or fighting an algorithm just to be seen.
Today I still make my personal work under Fine Line Pyro, and Wood Burn Corner has grown into the teaching and community side of what I do.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to protect the creative part of what I do while also running the business side of it. It’s easy for emails, planning, admin and all the behind the scenes work to take over the reason you started in the first place.
Building community has also been its own kind of challenge. You can create the space, the prompts, the events and all the opportunities to connect, but you can’t force people to participate. Figuring out what actually helps people feel comfortable showing up has taken a lot of experimenting, listening and community feedback.
The goal has always been growth without losing the heart of it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a pyrography artist specializing in radial symmetry: kaleidoscopic patterns built line by line, starting from a centre point outward. That’s what my work under Fine Line Pyro is known for, and it shapes my templates, my books and most of the artwork I create.
In Burn Club, I teach wood burning through live Open Studio sessions, step-by-step tutorials, creative exercises and more. I also cover a wide range of other mediums and techniques that can be used on their own or alongside pyrography. The through line in all I teach is a mindful freestyle approach, removing perfectionism from creativity and focusing on enjoying the process.
My proudest moments are when someone tells me they’ve been able to free their mind through the work. Giving someone the tools, skills and motivation to create for their mental health is what drives everything I do.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you’ve ever thought about trying pyrography and talked yourself out of it because you assumed you weren’t artistic enough, I’d say start anyway. Almost nobody arrives at this craft knowing what they’re doing. I certainly didn’t.
Burn Club is free to join and it’s the easiest place to start. You can find it at woodburncorner.com/burn-club. There are people in there on their first wood slice and people who have been burning for years, and both are welcome.
Pricing:
- Burn Club+ (a paid tier in the club where members get session recordings, commission opportunities and more) is $20CAD per month: https://www.woodburncorner.com/burn-club-plus
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.woodburncorner.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodburncorner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Woodburncorner
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@WoodBurnCorner
