When it comes to Mark's woodburned art, it starts with the canvas. The wood he chooses is part of the character of the finished piece,  and this smallmouth bass woodburning drives that point home. An unknown tree, but probably maple, this chunk of wood was full of character before the scene was ever permanently burned into it's surface. A smallmouth bass covered in it's revered war paint chases down a Woolly Bugger fly pattern while a small bluegill hides motionless near buy, hoping to remain unseen.  "No Sudden Movements!"
 
Available in Old Forge, NY at Space, Old Forge.
 
About my art "convases":
I choose the wood for my art by it's character, not its species. You will find knots, cracks, natural deformities, uneven surfaces and textures, as well as the ocassional saw mark. These are all things that speak to me when selecting my next canvas. They are not finished, finely sanded and planed but instead what we find ourselves surrounded by in nature when we venture out into it to forget the rat race for a little while. They are truly a mixture of rustic and refined, covering and blending these things with my art. 
I would also like to make note of where they should be hung. If you have a deck outside, you know it needs to be sealed every couple years or the sun will bleach it. And that your fire wood pile or that drift wood found on the river bleaches in the sun. The same will happen to a woodburning, no matter what it is sealed with given enough time. It's my suggestion that my art only be displayed indoors, and not somewhere that it will recieve regular, direct sunlight. Just like that wood outside, the sun's UV shows no mercy.