Tanya Herrera
Tanya Herrera - Pyrographer and Heat Artist, Art Teacher with knowledge in 30+ mediums
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Born and raised in the Bay Area in 1984 as a first generation Costa Rican American, I have made art for as long as I can remember. It was the only thing I wanted to do as a kid. I experimented with traditional mediums through elementary school, middle school, high school and into college, challenging myself to ask, "what else is there?" I discovered pyrography when I was 10 years old through Costa Rican artisans, but continued testing a wide variety of modern art techniques until I started burning at the age of 24. Since then I have been burning pyrography in the traditional method since 2008 on wood, 2013 on leather and 2015 on bone.
My beginnings with heat art crystallized in 2016 when after years of failures I successfully developed a medium I call "Fire Stenciling" and "Fire drawing". The idea also originated from the want to make the impression of a stencil on a piece of wood in a different way. It mimics the feeling of a painted or stenciled piece but instead brightly colored paint it is burned and monochromatic.
My most recent heat art medium is a series of heat molded vinyl records accompanied by 3 different kinds of metal leaf. After molding the record, I guild gold, copper or silver to the vinyl and then apply the final step, a productive clear coat of resin.
I have chosen to keep alive antiqued techniques by recreating them for a modern age, all the while intentionally reducing my carbon footprint through repurposing materials. I'm still constantly building on skills and talent handed down through my ancestry creating every piece I make to reflect the rarity that is me.
Follow me on social media!
General Art Page:
@TanyaHerrera.O.R.C
Adult Art Classes for Beginners:
@PuffandCreate.SF
Cat Themed Burned Wooden Jewelry:
@MeowBitchSF
