Woodburning is a truly underrated art form that requires a lot of skill, patience, and creativity, and Court O’Reilly possesses all of these qualities. She’s the mastermind behind the brand Hippie North, who uses her pyrography skills to craft some of the most incredible works of art you’ll ever come across.
O’Reilly discovered the magical world of woodburning in 2016 and never looked back. It all started when she bought a locally crafted cherry wood canoe paddle as a gift for her dad, and decided to have his initials engraved into it on her own after finding woodburning tutorials online.
This marked the start of a great adventure for O’Reilly, who’s always been a creative soul. She enjoyed painting for quite some time, but decided to trade canvas and brushes for wood and metal once she discovered the magical world of pyrography.
“I sought local connections to woodworkers who could create the wood blanks I envisioned for my art. Growing my pyrography skills alongside these talented woodworkers allowed me to become an expert in not only pyrography but also wood species and utilizing woodworking tools to create my own wood blanks,” she writes on her official website.
O’Reilly is committed to making eco-friendly works of art, and she usually uses fallen or sustainably sourced air or kiln-dried local wood slabs as her canvas. Nature is her biggest source of inspiration, but she’s also no stranger to making artwork inspired by architecture, landscapes, and popular culture.
