The 2025 elk rut was nothing short of spectacular.  Fall is the most gorgeous season in Rocky Mountain National Park and surrounding areas.  The transition to cool air, golden orange palette, shedding of antler velvet, calves still nursing but more independent, it’s all so miraculous.  The golden aspens and snow-capped mountains made for a fantastic backdrop to the biggest brutes and beautiful cows that earned bragging rights for protecting and preserving the elk species.  I was fortunate to witness much of the chasing, bugling, posturing and rough battles, and ensured my own future by capturing some great photos that will be used in my art.  When the velvet comes off, the gloves come off in defense of harems.  Bull tines become weapons for a month or more.  While tines and bodies show some wear and tear at the end of the rutting season, it is the height of the highly anticipated rut that never disappoints, and this year was no exception.  As testosterone levels drop, so will their antlers and the bulls will once again enjoy brotherhood together.  Enjoy the ride!

Belting out a bugle to warn other bulls and to attract more cows.

Wooing cows is part of the ritual.  This is the gentler side of the bulls.

The act of "love" (actually, determining her ability to breed by getting her to stand).

Chasing cows is common, especially when the cow is not quite in standing heat.

Beautiful early morning light highlighting the bull scenting and driving his cows.

It is not uncommon to see cows battle during the rut.  Hormones are flaring all over!

Giving out a mighty bugle.  What a sight and body-tingling high-pitched sound!!

Keeping a keen eye out for his competition, which was all over this huge meadow.

Corralling his harem to keep them close together.  Wandering cows can be problematic!

Battles can lead to injuries, such as this large 6x6 bull catching antlers in the eye and nostril.

A gorgeous bull galloping across a field in the morning light in search of more cows.

What an extraordinary autumn week in the Colorado Rockies.  When my 2024 fall pyrography workshop was not filling up, one previous workshop student insisted on attending and so we worked it out, just the two of us.  She flew in from Wisconsin, we rented a large cabin high up in Estes Park with breathtaking mountain views, picture-perfect weather and mule deer roaming the grounds.  We had ample work space for us both to create our separate art and for me to guide her through her project.  Because I live nearby and photograph wildlife in their natural habitat all year long, composing her project piece was a really fun task.  I gave her a choice of animal subjects, she requested elk, so I composed a special scene just for her of a bugling bull elk with two cows and a calf during their rutting season.  She was thrilled with the scene and worked hard all week to burn her beautiful subjects on a 12x24" piece of birch wood.  Pyrography is a challenging, monochromatic medium, where building values one layer at a time and attention to great detail are key.  A student from my 2022 workshop, she knew this and did a spectacular job at taking her time navigating her way through this process.  We also spent a great deal of time discussing and practicing techniques such as masking her subjects to isolate them from background paints, and painting with acrylics.

With a "no-rules" agenda (after all, there were just the two of us), we made frequent trips inside Rocky Mountain National Park, only a few minutes from our cabin, observing elk in rut (yes, she produced a piece based on the very scenes we observed in the Park, which gave her more knowledge and appreciation for her own art), and moose up close.  By the end of the week we had not only made great progress on our respective pieces, but enjoyed the wildlife in the area, collected much photo reference for future work, ate great food, picnicked, drank in the changing colors of fall, spent early morning hours on our wraparound deck where dustings of snow blanketed the sunny mountaintops and hawks flew just above-head.  We enjoyed non-stop conversation and laughter and became even greater friends.

WORK!  WORK!  WORK!!

Two reference photos taken on two separate occasions were used to compose the art my student would produce.  When composing art I take time to pour over my photos to tell the best possible visual story.  Not only did my student work on this piece, but at this time of year she was fortunate to see these same scenes daily with me.

Reference photos for my student's work during our artist retreat in Estes Park, Colorado, October 13-19, 2024

First she finely-sands the Birch plank, then builds her values very lightly and will darken as she layers the work with more burn.  Moving around the work from subject to subject is important in building this scene properly.  Once the elk are all completed with great detail, she will add the grass environment at the bottom to give context to the piece and tie the subjects together.  Producing a work this size takes time, she will continue to have my guidance as much as she needs on Zoom calls and emails.  I am so proud of her progress - so is she!!

It was really nice to have time to work on a new piece during the week, too.

THE VIEWS!!!

Our "cozy" (4-bedroom, 2 bath, upper lower level) cabin in the woods offered breathtaking mountain views and all conveniences anyone could want.  And, turns out my student is a GREAT COOK!!

THE WILDLIFE!!

We made lots of time for visits to Rocky Mountain National Park, a short few minutes away from our cabin.  The elk rut was just winding down so we caught plenty of exciting action.  We also found a moose or two in the Park and spent hours observing and photographing them, as well.  We both came away with amazing memories and tons of photos for future art!  Sharing the experience was by far the best part of the week.

All in all, we had a leisurely, relaxing and fun-filled week loaded with hard work, wild animals, stunning weather, great friendship and jaw-breaking laughter!!  Hope we can do it again next year - with more students!!

Three Part Harmony

12" x  16" Pyrography and Acrylic on heavyweight paper

© Copyright Julie Bender

In October 2021 I was lucky to have been serenaded by several yearling coyote siblings moving swiftly about in a large meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Coyotes are a rather rare sight, but I've been fortunate to observe and photograph them on occasion in my dozen years here in Colorado, and I certainly love depicting them in my art.  Thanks to numerous reference photos during that shoot, I used several to compose this piece to depict the musical interaction between the three.

Taking elements from several reference photos, composition is complete.

Then, with heavyweight paper cut to size and the coyotes burned (as pyrography allows me to carefully establish their values), I poured out the acrylic paint and the fun really began!  My overwhelming priority for this piece was to continue exploring an abstract way of executing my art while honoring nature’s autumn palette of golds, sepias and greens…my favorites; this is the direction my work has been heading.  Therefore, the background took on a loose and whimsical expression of their habitat.  And as I painted over the coyotes themselves, I took the opportunity to do what I love, which was to push the shapes, textures, colors, highlights, shadows, edges and values with broader brushes, sponges and palette knife to create a loose, more abstract scene, my interpretation of a beautiful memory in a wild world.

The three coyotes were drawn onto the paper and burned.  Pyrography allows me to really examine the values of the animals in order to give them a good base for the paints I add later.

 Once those values are established, pushing paint around is next.  I never have an exact plan in mind, rather I allow the paints, brushes and sponges take me along for the ride.

Being loose and whimsical is my goal throughout the piece.  Once colors are there, I add more water, allow drippings, swirl the paint around, creating various hues, tones and even trees emerge in the background, which gives context to the abstract habitat.

The finished piece, which took a week, feels much as I had envisioned: three subjects taking equal part in a space created just for them, in a place even they could not imagine.

The Fly Fisherman

13" x  22" Acrylic on heavyweight paper

© Copyright Julie Bender

Living near the Big Thompson River Canyon affords me numerous drives and photo opportunities when traveling to Rocky Mountain National Park, less than an hour drive.  During one particular drive up the canyon I noticed the gushing waters resulting from a previous heavy snow storm along the rocky river that travels down from the Rocky Mountains and settles miles away toward the eastern plains of Colorado.  I stopped at one spot to watch how the water splashed and careened about and took photos that I new would make it into my art.  When considering this piece, I knew I wanted a bird who hunted these waters.  Settling on an eagle was easy as I'd seen them a number of times soaring up and down this scenic canyon.  I had much eagle reference from various sightings in northern Colorado.  This eagle fit the scene perfectly, so I composed it and went to work.

First, I penciled in the scene and masked out the placement of the eagle using liquid mask.  Unlike all my previous works, the background would be painted first, then the eagle.  I also knew that I wanted to paint the entire work, rather than burn a part or whole of it with pyrography.  This would be another great challenge for me, though I was becoming more comfortable with acrylics as a primary medium.

Photo taken in January, 2020 of the eagle that I used in this work

Photo taken along the Big Thompson River in March, 2024

The 13" x 22" scene is composed on 300# hot pressed watercolor paper

Liquid mask is applied to protect the eagle from background paint

Starting to loosely block in the background river and rocks

Painting layers of color and texture to convey the movement and power of the river

Removing the now rubbery mask from the eagle - he's ready for paint!

The piece in entirety with negative space remaining to paint the eagle

The eagle is painted!

Tweaking colors, layers and values until the piece is complete

"The Fly Fisherman" has so much meaning to me, but as always, I am most deeply inspired by the Colorado landscape and all her precious animals, her four intense seasons and my insistence on discovering new and innovative ways to express myself through my art.  Each piece I create allows me to grow and break through layers to reveal my most authentic self.

All images and written content of this website are copyrighted by Julie Bender.  All uses without permission strictly prohibited.

Twenty-three years into my art career I decided to break from pyrography and try pure paint.  Once a purist in pyrography, it took 10 years (and a dare) to add color to my work.  After experimenting in the subtlest, most minimal way with various wet media (including coffee, inks and watercolor), I finally settled on acrylics to enhance my monochromatic, sepia-toned burns.  Over time, I turned to a more confident palette and style and was more excited to add color to enhance my sepia subjects.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the look, feel - and aroma - of burning images onto paper and wood –and will continue making pyrography my core medium for the foreseeable future.  But, like my art, I am a work in progress, and always will be.

Pyrography is such a tight medium; one uses tiny metal tools that heat up and then strokes the surface to create highly detailed sepia-toned marks that finally make up an image.  It is time consuming to create one work, which is fine, and I love teaching it, but I felt a creative urge to put my marks down in a much quicker, looser, expressive manner, and experiment with what would happen.  This task has been at the top of my mind for years, so putting away my burner and breaking out the paints became an uncomfortable and necessary part of my growth.

I never had the intention of exclusively painting a piece (I hadn’t painted a complete work since art school in college), but sometimes subjects make that decision for you, as in the case of these beautiful kestrels, which I knew I did not wish to "burn."  Now I was ready, had embellished enough of my burns to feel comfortable with acrylics, and moreover, NEEDED to stretch out of the highly detailed world of pyrography to do something loose, fresh and less highly representational.  And while the style of this “first” piece is not yet fully realized, this is a promising start - I'm happy with the results and will continue down this path with paints.  Right now, I am enjoying exploring the aesthetic of broad strokes, the abstract of realism - and not being boxed into intense detail.

I appreciate the dare charged to me those years ago, which helped me break out of my purist, highly detailed, monochromatic ways - and to grow as an artist.  I loved the loose feel of painting and achieving quicker results in a new, but familiar, way.  I think I’ll try it again.  And again.  I don’t aspire to be a painter.  I don’t even claim to be a "pyrographer."  I am an artist and will continue to explore and evolve.

What happens when you bring together six individuals from all corners and center of the U.S. with the common purpose of learning pyrography and a deep love of wildlife to a place beyond description?  Well, of course, you order up the best weather and prepare for the time of your life!  My workshops in Colorado's high country are not just for learning a unique and somewhat difficult art medium, they are an adventure that fill all senses.  Burning our wild horse image on maple wood was equaled to observing and photographing wildlife native to the area in their natural habitat.  Being near these animals just naturally heightens the senses and enhances the experience of creating wildlife art.

Our full workshop of six positive, upbeat individuals turned out to be a remarkable time from dawn past dusk every day, filled with constant laughter, intense learning, wildlife outings that included the tail-end of the grand elk rut complete with bugling and chasing, mule deer, moose, bighorn sheep, wild turkeys, warm evening fires and much more.  Friendships were easily forged, meals were shared, and did I mention wildlife?!  We all went home with new reference for our art, new and repeat students had the times of their life, as did I.

Thanks to Rocky Mountain National Park for providing memorable fall colors, gorgeous mountains and unforgettable wildlife.  Thanks to Estes Park for non-stop venues with even more wildlife as well as wonderful restaurants and boutiques.  And big thanks to McGregor Mountain Lodge for outstanding accommodations.  We will return!!  Enjoy our photo journey.

All images and written content of this website are copyrighted by Julie Bender. All uses without permission strictly prohibited.

Elk are such fascinating animals to observe, especially during their rutting season, late August through late September.  I am fortunate to live not far from the Colorado high country, where they frequent all year and can be found during their most important time of the year when they vie for the rights to mate.  They are in the best shape of their lives, at their most aggressive and the bulls are constantly ready to do battle, chase cows, and the sounds of their bugle can be heard all day and night.  During this time, bulls collect cows and do their best to keep them enclosed in areas where they are safe from other bulls.  These animals are most dangerous at this time of year, so giving them their due space is key when quietly observing.

One warm sunny day in Estes Park, I found a large harem cooling off in Lake Estes.  The large dominant bull, in typical fashion, kept a keen eye on each of his girls (not an easy task when they are constantly moving to different areas) while also aware of other bulls in the area that would challenge him.  He was constantly on the move driving and corralling his cows when needed to keep his harem intact.

In this scene, he did a great job at leading them out of the water and into a manageable area with the rest of the cows.  I knew I had a nice scene with which to build a new work of art.  I had not tackled water in this manner previously, but in all of my work I always say "no pain, no gain."  I composed the three subjects (based on several reference photos taken that day) on heavyweight paper (my favorite and most versatile substrate) and set out to tell this story.

First came composing the piece and burning the three elk.  I wanted the bull to be the main focus so I concentrated on the sharpest detail.  The cows were burned next and just out of focus to give a slight sense of depth perception.

Next comes the liquid mask.  To paint the background and foreground lake water, I needed to mask out the areas I did not want to paint.  I carefully applied the liquid mask to the three elk in order to protect them from the paint.  Liquid mask is not easy to apply but a necessary mid-step.  It is a rather rubbery substance that goes on wet and then dries.

Now that the mask is dry I turn to my acrylic paint that I mixed to suit the hues and tones of the water.  Since the three elk are now fully protected from paint, I can freely brush on as much as needed and repeat this stage for days until the hues and values are just right.  My attention was focused on color, light source, shadows and reflections.

Once the paint is laid down I am ready to remove the protective mask.  It peeled right off, but took a small degree of burn away with it.  So, my attention was next turned to a lot more burning, including refining (darkening, smoothing out) the piece all together.  For me, the work is not complete until every single detail is burned and color is painted.

Another piece in the books.

"Out of the Shallows"

20" x 15.5" Pyrography and acrylic

All images and written content of this website are copyrighted by Julie Bender. All uses without permission strictly prohibited.

Just out of my workshop in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, I had to briefly share the experience with my readers.  After two years of not being able to hold my in-person workshops, this fall presented the perfect timing and opportunity to enjoy gorgeous weather, friendship and wildlife!!  One advanced and one new student meant different projects and plenty of time guiding both throughout.  I was even able to start a new piece of my own based on the elk rut this season.  The Colorado high country is conducive to creating wildlife art with its fresh, crisp, cool air and wildlife roaming in every direction.  While we spent the majority of our time burning and creating, we also took advantage of the final days of the infamous elk rut and ventured down the canyon to see bighorn sheep beginning their rut season.  Outside the working cabin at McGregor Mountain Lodge and its large picture windows were all sorts of birds native to the area, so it was naturally hard to resist stopping and taking photos of them!  All in all, a very successful 6-day intensive workshop, eating awesome food, hiking Rocky Mountain National Park, observing amazing wildlife, collecting photos to reference in future art - and of course creating beautiful art together!

Barb burning a new work on paper based on a cow and calf elk in water, while Becky burning her bugling bull elk on maple wood.  Pyrography is such an exciting and rewarding medium to master with it's inherent sepia tones and contrasting values.

Our wildlife outings were the highlight of our memorable week together.  Experiencing these amazing animals up-close in their natural habitat, observing and understanding their behaviors gave us necessary insights to create beautiful stories in our art.

Watching the Bighorn rams begin their rutting season.  Always thrilling to watch them clash horns, and easy to hear from quite a distance.

Outside our working cabin in Estes Park were numerous Stellar's Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, Magpies and much more!

Always an amazing experience, my workshops offer so much for my students to take in, including gaining a deep appreciation for the wildlife that we depict in our art.  Fall in the Colorado high country is a feast for all senses.

All images and written content of this website are copyrighted by Julie Bender. All uses without permission strictly prohibited.

The sweltering dry heat, the swirling dust, the cowboys, horses, bulls, steers, calves, rodeo clowns, all the fast-paced jam-packed excitement!  I was lucky enough to photograph three days of this year's Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, again from the "pit" (think baseball game dugout).  At dirt level, it is any photographer's dream-place to catch the action, but from that vantage point, the ART was all I could think of each and every time a horse flew by us or a cowboy skillfully leaned on to his steer to wrestle him down to the ground in record time.  Who cared about the 100+ temps and dusty camera lens!!

This year's Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo did not disappoint....okay, it never does.  The world's largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration IS the "Daddy of em all."  And, after a few years of showing my art at the annual invitational that coincides with the rodeo and photographing the event, I was once again lucky to capture shots that will make it into my art.  Currently, I am working on a new 22"x26" on paper, my first bull-riding work, and believe it depicts all the essence of this dangerous 8-second sport.  Still in the beginning stages and slow going, but that's what I love about my brand of pyrography....I keep the heat low and burn slow.  That way it will have great detail, all while putting my own spin on a lifelike yet contemporary style.  Like its contemporaries, this piece will include acrylic paints to complement the pyrography and will have the look and feel of this thrilling ride.  Look for this piece to be completed in just several weeks.

Once the burn and detail is established, I take out my acrylic paints and add color that will enhance the piece.  In this case, the chaps, jeans, dirt, dust and sky were added to complete the scene.   I so enjoyed working on this piece.

"Making it Matter"  22" x 26" pyrography and acrylic on paper

During the spring of 2020 I had the pleasure of observing eight fox kits and their doting mom as they took up residence at an elaborate den in northern Colorado.  Visiting as often as possible and there to learn, observe and photograph, my intention was to hopefully glean a few shots that were nice enough to include in my art, and to share those with my students as they learn the art of pyrography.  Each course consists of creating a work based on my photos; we work alongside each other from start to finish, step by step, honing techniques.  Scroll down for a very special offering of two works based on the classes I teach.

But it all starts with the photo.  The shots that I use as reference in my art are the ones that make my heart jump out of my chest.  Because they capture my imagination, it stands to reason my finished work will evoke the same emotion.  These foxes kept me on my toes (after all, they are quick!) and capturing moments that fascinated with each passing moment.  I love the surprise of what they do, the unpredictability of it all.  Just when you think they're about to do one thing, they turn on a dime and sprint off elsewhere!  Hence hundreds of out-of-focus shots!  But the few great ones more than made up for the rest.

As they grew bigger and more confident, their antics grew more outrageous and amusing.  And then, in a blip of an eye, from mid-April to mid-May, they grew up and finally left their dusty den behind to greener pastures with their mom who continued to teach them and turn them into independent foxes who could fend for themselves.  I will never forget the spring of 2020.

"First Encounter" and "Junior Lightweight Tournament" are available through Julie's Pyrography Courses special rate.  Julie produces the same works she has her students produce, finishes them to perfection and offers these originals at a special price.  These works are 11" x 14", burned on quality maple wood, embellished with paint, sealed and ready to ship.  Cost of shipping included in the continental U.S.

  "First Encounter"

"Junior Lightweight Tournament"