Bamboo Pyrography from Papua New Guinea

[Mark Meckes]

Bamboo pyrographic artwork - from the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea - circa 60's - 70?



This pyrographic artwork from Papua New Guinea was burnt onto the bamboo using split sticks from the heartwood of a palm tree.
The black heartwood is very dense, and will retain a glowing ember for quite a while.
This is all I can remember about this process, from the time I lived there as a child.
Burning designs onto bamboo can be pretty smoky...acrid.
It takes longer, and is harder to burn a design on green bamboo then dry bamboo.
But the ease of accomplishing this can be quite different with each species depending on the culm surface coating, texture, culm wall thickness and porosity of the wood.

~ Mark