Dandy Lions by Robert Sherer

The Lyman-Eyer Gallery is pleased to present Dandy Lions by Robert Sherer. This unique pyrograph is one of many works which will be showcased this summer at the gallery. Robert muses about these kitsch/nostalgia works..."Like many American boys I grew up in a world of sports, camping, scouting, and war gaming. The secret rites of passage and relationship intrigues played out in the locker rooms, pup tents, and tree houses helped to define me as a man. Because my youth most closely resembles the classic illustrations of camping guide books and scouting manuals of the 1950s and '60s, I have found it necessary to derive my biographical drawings from these visual resource materials. To imbue these wood-burned images with an air of authenticity I render them with actual camp craft materials such as leather, rustic wood, tarpaulin, lanyards and grommets. I am adept with these materials because they were some of my most comforting diversions during those thrilling and perilous years of self discovery. They also provided me with a sense of personal achievement because they earned me merit badges.
It is my hope that these works will help others to reconnect with the springtime of life. The pyrography process..."Because there is no room for erasure or mistakes with these pyrographic artworks I must work out all of the compositional aspects before approaching the actual piece of wood veneer. I create my cartoon drawings on paper and manipulate them on that forgiving surface until I have achieved the exact image I am desiring. I then transfer the drawing onto the wood veneer using standard office-grade carbon paper. The linear information is then ready to be burned into the wood with a camp craft wood-burning tool and the image is colorized with shellacs and wood stains. Sometimes I seal the final picture in a semi-gloss varnish. I find that using traditional camp craft materials and techniques helps to imbue these artworks with an air of authenticity." Please visit the Lyman-Eyer Gallery web site at http://www.lymaneyer@aol.com/ to experience each of Robert Sherer's unique creations.