“I burn each tree separately, ….

“I burn each tree separately, each panel, and then I try to match them up so it looks like it burned across,” said Johnson, adding he tries to do that with every set he makes.

A back is then put on the artwork.

To add color to the wood art, Johnson uses Rit fabric dye and alcohol ink. He says he thought to give the dyes a shot one day, otherwise his work was just plain woodcolored.

“People just fell in love with them,” said Johnson, of the colored pieces.

Johnson then finishes the pieces with a clear coat. He says the process of finishing a piece can take a few days, since some woods really absorb the finish.

Johnson’s work area is about a 10x10 foot space, and has a vent system to remove the smoke and fumes from the room. He says COVID caused some difficulties, in terms of his ability to get the wood he needed for his craft. There were also fewer craft shows during the pandemic.

A boxer Johnson used to have, inspired the name Dog Paw Arts.

“He was real shy of everything, but when I started doing this, it was like he knew how dangerous it was,” said Johnson. “He’d stand next to me, like he was going to protect me.”

Johnson says he wanted to name the business after the dog, but figured the next dog would get jealous. He says Dog Paw came to mind and the name stuck.

Despite only selling his artwork at craft shows across Western Wisconsin, Johnson’s pieces have gone worldwide. He has artwork in the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, and almost all 50 states. He says word of mouth brings most of his sales.

“I never did a day of art in my life,” said Johnson, of before he started the business.

Johnson worked on vehicles before starting Dog Paw Arts and was more into tinkering than art, but when it comes to new techniques or challenges, he says he just likes to figure it out.

“Two years ago, I taught myself how to paint on canvas,” said Johnson.

Johnson says he makes a wide variety of things, whatever pops into his head.

He also paints on wood, using the grain of the wood to give the effect of ripples in the water, as well as plywood carving, which creates wavy lines that appear metallic.

“The different woods they use to make the plywoods, give off different colors,” said Johnson. “It’s really cool.”

Johnson also hand-polishes rocks for jewelry, as well as filing down nuts to create rings. He says most people have a lathe to do those on, but he does not, so he does them by hand.

When it comes down to it, Johnson says he does what he does, because people like it.

“It makes people happy,” said Johnson.

Those who would like to keep up with Johnson’s latest work and where he will be next, can do so by following Dog Paw Arts on Facebook.

Rick Johnson, owner of Dog Paw Arts, used scrap pieces of wood to create a rendition of the four seasons.

JULIA WOLF/COURIER SENTINNEL