Somewhere in Florence, Mississippi, on warm sunny days with birds chirping and cicadas singing, Courtney Lipscomb can often be found sitting in her covered back patio, with her two dogs playing in the yard, alone with her thoughts, talking to herself or in prayer. While on this patio, her hands aren’t idle. With a wooden birch panel in front of her and a special pen in her hand, Lipscomb creates her own nature scenes on the unconventional canvas. The woodburning pen heats and sears the wood as she repeatedly strokes the panel, the faintest smell of smoke—reminiscent of a campfire—wafting into the air.
Each stroke brings her closer to creating a beautiful drawing. Lipscomb starts by penciling in a graphite transfer, then adding the intricate details by hand. Once the picture is complete, she fills in the artwork and paints it in watercolor, before covering the wooden panel with a translucent polycrylic sealant.
“I love everything about it. I love how the pen sears the wood and how it just cuts like butter against the wood,” Lipscomb said of the process. “It’s my therapy, for sure.”
Art as therapy is something that has always resonated with Lipscomb. As a student at Delta State University, Lipscomb majored in art. She had previously considered pursuing art therapy, but realized that wasn’t the career path for her. With a passion for photography, she always loved the idea of shooting documentary-style photos. However, she ultimately found her career footing in art education, completing an alternate-route licensing program during her senior year and graduating in 2000…