Trained as a Fine Artistat the University of Maryland, twelve of Lora Susan Irish's pure breed dog oil paintings have been published as limited edition art prints. Her art has been featured on the front covers of "Doberman Quarterly" 1991, "Samoyed Quarterly" - all four issues of 1991, and "Shetland Sheepdog Quarterly" 1991 published by Hoflin Press.
She is the author of a series of woodcarving, pyrography, and craft pattern books including the Great Book of Dragon Patterns, Relief Carving the Wood Spirit, and The Art and Crafts of Pyrography published through Fox Chapel Publishing, publisher of "Wood Carving Illustrated Magazine"; Classic Carving Patterns published by Taunton Press, publisher of "Fine Wood Working Magazine"; and Classic Chip Carving published by Chipping Away, Inc.
L. S. Irish shared the Wood Carver of the Year - 2007 with Ed Gallenstein, editor and publisher of "Chip Chats Magazine", for her support and teaching efforts in the wood carving community. Irish's free online tutorials can be found on the Wood Carving Illustrated Message Board where she shared step-by-step in-depth carving, pyrography, and scroll saw projects.
Lora and her husband, Michael, took their home based art studio, Art Designs Studio established in 1982, to the Internet by creating www.CarvingPatterns.com in 1997, a website focusing on online tutorials, projects, line art patterns and drawings created exclusively by Lora for craters and artisans. The website as of 2012 offers more than 2500 pattern in various subject categories, including North American Wildlife, Celtic Knots, Dragons and Mythological Beasts, Nautical and Sea Life, and many more. Lora continues to provide new patterns and new inspiration to many artists.
Her magazine articles and patterns are a regular feature in Wood Carving Illustrated, Pyrography Magazine, and Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts.
Working from her rural mid-Maryland home studio, Lora S. Irish is currently exploring new crafts and hobbies including wire bent link jewelry, metal sheet jewelry, piece patch and applique quilting, gourd carving, gourd pyrography, and leather crafts.
In February 2012 Lora posted a online step-by-step pyrography seminar featuring a landscape wood burning of an advertising barn, wood fence, and abandoned, rusted car on the Wood Carving Illustrated Message Board at http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/f58/irish-pyrography-seminar-45085/
