J. Walitalo Woodburning

     Growing up in rural mid-Michigan, Joanna was strongly influenced by her mom, who was an art and science teacher, and her father ran the day-to-day operations of Wildlife Recovery Association, an organization dedicated to research, rehabilitation, and education about wildlife. Joanna’s unique upbringing brought her close to nature on a daily basis. Having been raised with hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, bears, a wolf, and many other rare and endangered species, Joanna spent many days in the wilderness observing landscapes, plant life, and wildlife. Coupled with her close connections to animals and plants, her mom taught her how to see the world through the eyes of an artist.

     Joanna pursued a scientific focused education, inspired by her parents’ scientific background. She earned a B.S. with a dual major in Biology and Environmental Policies from Central Michigan University, taking art classes as electives when she had the opportunity.

     From there, Joanna moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to pursue a degree in Forestry from Michigan Technological University. “I spent almost every summer of my life in the back country of the U.P. camping on the top of cliffs, observing the behavior of Peregrine Falcons with my parents. I knew that I wanted to move to the U.P. and work outside in a way that would have a positive impact on our natural resources. Pursuing a Master of Forestry at Michigan Technological University gave me that opportunity.” -Joanna Through the Master of Forestry program, Joanna learned the field skills of identifying and taking scientific measurements of trees, along with long term management and habitat concepts. “Trees can teach us so much. Understanding the trees can help us understand the soils that support different species growth, past management, and what wildlife can be supported at any particular location.” -Joanna

     “I realized through my field and lab work that a lot of lumber was wasted at different steps in the process, from trim and miscuts at the mill, to any final product. I started collecting these miss-cut boards and drawing on them, just to see how I could use them so they wouldn’t go to waste. One day, I switched to using a woodburning tool, and everyone that saw them seemed to have a connection with the artwork, more so than the same image if I were to do it in a different medium. I have to attribute it to the wood itself, the fact that what once was a living tree still shows through as a part of the art. We all seem to have a deep connection with trees, in some form.” -Joanna

     Joanna continued her education through PhD research in Forest Science, this time combining her prior experience with biology, forestry, environmental policy and her love of artwork. She focused her PhD research on how pyrography (woodburning) artwork techniques respond differently to different species of wood. Through this research, and shifting focus from field work to artwork, she combined her skills and goal of having a positive impact on our natural resources, by creating artwork that carries a message. 

     Each piece of artwork is unique, not just because of the image she puts on the wood, but because each piece of wood was once a living tree, and the grain of the wood tells the story of the tree’s life. Some pieces of wood have knot holes, stain, bark, and other “defects” that have to be incorporated into the artwork. It’s not like painting on a blank canvas, the image has to work with the nature of the wood, and vice versa.  

     During her years of university studies, Joanna experienced some very traumatic personal events that shifted her focus to art, yet added an unique dimension to her connection with emotional aspects of visual interpretations. After earning her PhD in Forest science, Joanna turned to artwork as a full-time career. Her mission is to use her education to promote environmental ethics through the images that she creates, as well as through the medium that she specializes in, by using reclaimed wood for her pyrography works.