ABBOTTABAD: Living in a small rented house in Abbottabad, this artist has neither a modern studio nor expensive paints and pigments. His total assets are an electric pyrograph and pieces of wood (playboard).
Woodburn art, or pyrography, is a very difficult technique in which usually, a pyrograph is usually used for soldering, but Shahnawaz uses it like a pen. He burns the surface of the wood at different levels with the high heat of the torch to create shades and lines.
The most difficult thing about this art is that once a burn mark is made on the wood, it cannot be erased. It takes him several weeks of continuous hard work and concentration to create a portrait. He has skillfully carved portraits of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, and other national and international personalities on wood. He also made reflections of the beauty and mountain life of Abbottabad, Quranic verses, and other examples of calligraphy.
Despite such skill and passion, Shahnawaz Niazi is still living a life of anonymity and financial hardship. He said that if the government or the culture department sponsors them, they can teach this art to the new generation.
Due to the lack of a proper platform, their masterpieces remain hidden from the public eye.
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