JULIE BENDER

Upon graduating from the University of Missouri, Columbia in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Art Education, Julie made a career in computer design, website and software development.  It wasn’t until 25 years later that she found her love for pyrography and has remained on this path since. “Painting with heat” is how Julie describes her chosen medium, in which sepia-like tones are produced by scorching wood with a tiny heated wire. As a member of the Society of Animal Artists and Artists for Conservation, she delights in the fact that her portraits can be channeled for conservation and endangered animal awareness.