Woodburnings: Highlights from the First Five Years

Review by Deborah K. Frontiera

Since this reviewer, who has no talent for the visual arts, and when at her own booth at an art/craft show, often tells people, “I paint with words,” she has deep respect for visual artists in any medium. She also has two siblings in visual arts and another who does woodturning and burning, and a daughter who carves and burns wood. They make it look so easy, but she knows better. Such skills don’t come overnight, but only with trial and error, and countless hours of effort.

In telling how she began, the artist states that she had a lot of training in visual arts, and then transferred these same skills to woodburning. Joana Walitalo began when her son was very young and ill—the reviewer is guessing it was a way to reduce the stress Joanna was under at that time. Art and writing are wonderfully therapeutic. Joanna also states that she was surprised when her earliest, simplest works done on wood sold, where the same images on paper had not found a market. The artist also describes how during her youth, her parents worked in a nature sanctuary, and later her own work in a wildlife refuge influenced her art and choice of subject matter.

Joanna and her husband form a team in which, the majority of the time, he takes the reference photos and prepares the wood. Then she does the art, and he completes the work by applying the finish to preserve the art. Their stated mission is: “to create original artwork that promotes environmental ethics and shares the beauty of our natural world.”

The art book is divided into “chapters” or topics of Early Work, Wildlife (birds, trees and flowers, other wildlife, fish) Portraits and people, Pets (often commissioned and more dogs than cats), Puzzles, Mystic, as well as “spotlights” on people who influenced the art. One quickly sees that this artist has a wonderful style that she applies to a wide variety of topics. Her realism and attention to detail lets us see moods and personality in the eyes of her subjects—human or otherwise. While she may do several variations of one subject or theme, each is unique in terms of details and the type of wood used.

Joanna uses several types of wood including oak, basswood, spruce, pine, ash, maple and birch—less ash because of the dark lines in that wood which tend to make it difficult to bring out the image. Often the lines, knots, bark edges, and other wood features suggest the topic for the art and become part of the design. It’s as if the artist sees an image in the wood and brings it out in a remarkable way. A vertical bark pocket once became the branch of a tree. A natural indentation in one piece became the hole for an owl to live in. An antique ironing board was large enough for a life-size eagle. Indeed, all the wood the artist uses is found and repurposed. Joanna always sketches in pencil before burning into wood—after all, one can’t “erase” a burn. Any errors must be tossed, and a fresh piece of wood used.

Her section on “Respect” was especially touching—whether or not a reader agrees with the artist’s opinion, this section alone would make for a great book.

Joanna’s work ranges from simple to complex, and from simple to detailed—all of it beautiful. Flowers, since they are without color, are a special challenge. In the section “Mystic,” the artist states, “I draw what I see.” She also comments that when selling art, one can’t become too personally attached to any piece.

Another challenge is creating art on wood that will become usable objects: bowls, spoons, rolling pins found at second-hand stores and garage sales . . . Such small spaces require using the curve to portray the scene. Sometimes she has partnered with another artist, such as a wood turner, to create art on their art.

She also states that, “I rarely do artwork with the intent of making a pretty picture to hang on a wall. What interests me is creating meaning and capturing a story in the art, which is difficult to capture in a depiction of a flower without further context. It would be interesting and challenging to go down this path in the future and push myself in new directions.”

This is a book to read through, absorb, and then look at over and over again, to admire the talent demonstrated in each piece. A reader, viewer, may find themself thinking, “I wish I could do that,” and then wanting to go out and purchase a piece of this artist’s work.


Woodburnings: Highlights from the First Five Years
By Joanna Walitalo
ISBN 978-1-61599-618-6, Modern History Press, 2021, hardback “coffee table” book, retail $74.95 (and worth every penny)

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