Many of us could tell a story about walking through a lonely wood and feeling distinctly not alone. You might notice hidden eyes behind bushes or up in high branches. If you feel especially harmonious with nature you may get a sense of awareness from the trees themselves. Artist Sharon Bechtold captures these experiences through pyrography, deftly combining the elements of wood and fire to create works of haunting beauty. Life Force Arts Center welcomes Sharon’s work because it helps our urban art gallery connect with energies that aren’t always remembered in a forest of street signs and lamp posts.

You may have seen Sharon demonstrate and discuss pyrograghy at The Spirit of Wood opening gala in the spring. She worked on “Green Man and May Queen” in our gallery, and her squirrels generated many happy conversations throughout the show. More recently you may have been drawn into the animal eyes of her mobiles (some have called them sun catchers) now on display in our gallery. “Seeing the Forest for the Trees”, both individually and as a group, creates a contemplative mood with lifelike windows into animal souls and mirrors that literally bring the observer into the piece.  The light it reflects onto the floor dances like dappled sunlight through a canopy of leaves.

Sharon has generously gifted our gallery with a new work, “Lord and Lady of the Greenwood”, and LFAC is proud to announce our first ever auction fundraiser! “Lord and Lady of the Greenwood” is a wood burned portrait on the cross section of a tall tree. The masked Lord and Lady watch from the top, but the bottom remains unfinished for now. Sharon will personalize the bottom portion for the lucky winner when the auction ends. Bid in our upcoming eBay auction for a chance to bring a bit of the spirit of wood into your own space and help ensure that spiritual and healing art continues to have a venue in Chicago. Bidding starts at $500 on Thursday, November 11^th and ends Sunday, November 21^st. Check our calendar on November 11^th for more information and a link to the auction.

Visit our gallery at Life Force Arts Center, 3148 N Lincoln Ave to get a closer look the Lord and Lady, Sharon's other wood burnings, and all of the artwork that makes up Universal Love: Embracing the Divine in All.

April Wagner has been reading and studying tarot cards since 1995.  Although she has explored many other forms of divination, April has always found something special in the tarot's ability to evoke responses through artwork.  She has written many articles and tarot deck reviews for print and the web, and currently contributes to LFAC's Transcendent Journeys eZine.  In 2005 April founded the Chicago Tarot club to provide a social network for professionals and hobbyists in the area.