"She’d left me for another, it’s a common tale but true.” Lines from the famous song Lemon Tree kept playing in Toronto based artist Pervez Masani’s head when his recently commissioned over three-foot pyrography work on which he had worked for 80 hours was handed over to the client in July. "I was a wee bit upset seeing it go. Made a request that I would borrow it for carving shows. I am sure she will make me win ribbons,” Masani shared his sentiments. In the last 14 years the artist has won approximately 40 ribbons for carving and pyrography at different competitions and shows, he informed Parsiana.
Clockwise from top l: Pervez Masani with his pyrography, wood carving and stippling art
Pyrography is essentially burning designs into certain materials like wood, using a heated instrument. Having seen Masani’s work on Facebook, the client wanted a bigger pyrography work to go on his landing to the top floor. "It’s getting more and more difficult in Toronto to get good basswood. I finally got it in Burlington. They had the right size and without a knot or any flaws, plus a bit of bark to give it an effect,” recalled Masani. After sanding the wood to perfection, he had to position the piece on his lap and complete the job since he does not have a stand. "I got photocopies done in four pieces and then taped it to fit the frame. In the end I finished it with seven coats or more of staining,” Masani referred to the challenge.
"The Canadian winters are long… I spend my time between wood carving, pyrography, pencil sketching, photography and stippling (using small dots of ink or other drawing medium to build up an image),” stated the artist whose Facebook page has hundreds of images of his talent. He got interested in pyrography when participating in carving competitions. He purchased the necessary tools and encouraged by his wife Feroza, started honing his skills. Although he has had no formal training in these art forms he painstakingly studied the strokes and styles of other artists to keep learning. "I was lucky to have met my mentor, master carver Bill Hamilton at the carving facility which I visited once a week and the great pyrographer Tom Matthews, and recently Lisa Mitchell for stippling art,” he acknowledged.
He also enjoys macro photography of flowers, wildlife, birds and landscapes. "I believe equipment does not make a photographer, it’s the eye you see it with,” he remarked. He was introduced to photography by a childhood friend who had started it as a hobby when yet in school and is now an accomplished photographer. "My very first polarizing filter was a gift from him which I still have and cherish… I still learn a lot from him,” stated Masani.
He considers himself "lucky to be surrounded by people who were knowledgeable and guided me well.” Hailing from Nagpur, his father Maneck worked for Empress Mills while his mother Dina and sister Khursheed "instilled in me the love for art in its many forms.” He also named his four older cousins, Allan, Homi, Pali and Khorshed who "played a big role in my life.” Describing himself as "a proud Zoroastrian who believes in prayers and ceremonies,” on his visits to fire temples he admires the "lovely paintings of our prophet and other prominent donors.”