Laura Maffei says every line she burns into a hat begins by hand.
Maffei, the artist behind Burnt Brush, brought her hat pyrography business to North Country Fair for the first time this year, attending as a vendor with her daughter, Alyssa.

For Maffei, the vendor area offered a place to show people a form of work that depends on patience, control and a steady hand.
She says she began pyrography two years ago and has since developed a business around freehand designs burned directly onto hats.

The mnost common form of pyrography is wood burning. It uses heat to mark a surface.
In Maffei’s case, the surface is a hat, and the result is a wearable piece of art.
She says the designs she creates for Burnt Brush are not produced by laser.
“Everything is freehand,” Maffei says.

That distinction matters to her, she says, because each mark is placed by the artist rather than a machine. Maffei says the process is rooted in direct contact between the tool, the material and the design as it develops.

Starting the business has meant learning both the art form and the rhythm of selling handmade work in person, Maffei says.

Her first North Country Fair gave her a chance to meet festivalgoers, explain how the hats are made and show the difference between a hand-burned design and a mass-produced item.

She says attending with Alyssa also made the weekend a family experience.
The fair’s mix of music, camping, workshops and artisan vendors created a setting where people could browse, ask questions and see the work up close.

Sara Driedger
Lakeside Leader