Artist Brianna Thaxton
Why the Unicorn?
The Unicorn is my spirit animal. Truly.
​In medieval myth, the Christian view of the unicorn was a symbolic reference of Jesus Christ. I took that idea a step further: as a Christian, I believe I am created in the image of my God. Therefore, if Christ is a unicorn, then so am I.
Why Pyrography?
To burn wood is to scar the flesh of a tree, as it were.
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I have a pretty rad physical scar as well as some emotional and mental ones, although those ones are less rad. Art is therapy for me and is helping me heal those wounds and take care of those scars.
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Also, burning wood helps me slow down and be grateful for the present.
Allegory?
An allegory is a story (in my case a visual narrative) that is used to depict an alternative meaning beyond the face value. Unlike a metaphor that creates a direct comparison between two ideas, an allegory is more multifaceted and involves people, places and things, even ideas, concepts and values; a symbolic extension of human truths.
Synthetism?
A term derived from the Post-Impressionist movement.
Rather than only providing simple subject representation, I am merging or synthetizing the portrayal of unicorns with the way unicorns make me feel, the 'why' I use pyrography over traditional mediums, why I make the marks I make, why I choose to localize color and so on.