Burning Woman | Pyrography

Janhavi Chaudhari-Firke

By Tara Ryazansky

Photos courtesy of Sachin Choudhary and Pranjali Gajre

Janhavi Chaudhari-Firke is the artist behind @crafteffectnj. Her Instagram page is mesmerizing with hyperlapse videos of her work in progress. In one video she creates an intricate nature inspired pattern. Leaves and flowers swirl together in the design, growing right before the viewer’s eyes. But it isn’t merely a doodle on paper. Janhavi practices pyrography which is the art of controlled wood burning. Janhavi adjusts the heat level and pressure of her tool to create rich textures on the wood. “Different types of wood react differently to heat, and factors such as the

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type of wood, sap level, and wood grain play a major role in the finished artwork,” Janhavi says. Tiny plumes of smoke rise from the board as she etches her design. The result is beautiful artistic renderings on serving boards and coasters made of woods like acacia, mango, and olive.

Art in her DNA

“Growing up, I have always been surrounded by artists and writers, and they inspired me to create,’” Janhavi says, adding that her father attended the prestigious J J Arts School in Mumbai. While he went on to a career in engineering, he always practiced art. Her mother excelled at embroidery and sewing, which she shared with Janhavi and her siblings.

“Me and my sister made sand drawings called Rangoli to decorate our yard during festivals,” Janhavi says. “We also did Henna on our hands during our forming years.” Janhavi moved to New Jersey from India in 2014. “When I came to the United States, these big hobby stores fascinated me,” Janhavi says of the large craft supply stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. At the time she was a stay-at-home mom with a young son whom she included in her art projects. “I spent hours in the aisles of those stores exploring different tools and researching their techniques and googling about the usage of those tools.”

Janhavi Chaudhari-Firke

Janhavi Chaudhari-Firke

Janhavi Chaudhari-Firke

And the Rest is History

One day she came across a wood burning kit. “I had never heard of that before. I could not stop myself from buying it after preliminary research on my smart phone,” Janhavi says. When Janhavi first tried the kit, she found that it wasn’t as easy to use as she had initially thought. “I found it very difficult to control the pressure, the burning tone,” she says. “I realized that I needed a lot of practice. So I started out on smaller wooden pieces first and slowly acquired the mastery of the technique. I became bolder day by day and started burning larger wooden pieces.

Now, Janhavi looks forward to being a part of Open Studios @ City Hall; a group art show. “This show is all about work created in the studio during the global pandemic,” Janhavi says, adding that she has five pieces that she created in her Jersey City space in the show. “I am so excited. This is the first time I am showing my work at a group show.”

The JC Art Scene

“I found the arts community in Jersey City very welcoming and supporting,” Janhavi says. “I would say, if I had not received this support from the art community and not received appreciation from the local community here, I would not have explored pyrography to this extent.”

Janhavi mentions Kristin DeAngelis from 107 Bowers Art Gallery, Johnathan Acheson from the former Covetables, and Andrea McKenna from Art House Productions as locals who have supported her as an artist. “These people really encouraged me when I first started pyrography as a visual art,” Janhavi says. “Later on, each and every curator and artist I work with boosts me to make my work better and better. People from the art community in Jersey City have pushed me to grow.” —JCM