I cut my first picture in 1975. Self taught, I exhibited and sold marquetry pictures and fine woodworking pieces in various venues including the Texas Arts and Crafts Fair in 1976 through 1978, receiving the Award of Excellence in 1977 and 1978. As career choices precluded participation in fairs and shows, emphasis was changed to home building, cabinetry and furniture, but marquetry was pursued throughout with private sales and showings.
I use the window method as opposed to a fret or scroll saw. Use of the saw will allow several pictures to be cut at one time but restricts the ability to control the composition of the picture using the natural features of the wood. The knife/window method will allow only one picture at a time to be cut thus ensuring originality in each picture. Although I have been able to come very close to duplicating a scene in a picture, each cut and grain is distinctive. The marquetry pictures that I produce use only natural colored woods. Unfortunately, all natural woods will lose color and darken into shades of brown and gray over time, so the composition of the picture to stand the test of time should be a study of contrasts and shades of the woods used when aged.
I am often asked how long it takes to produce a marquetry piece. As should be evident, this varies with the complexity and size of the subject. About one third of the time spent is in the selection of the wood, a third in the actual cutting, and a third in the laying and finishing of the picture, again dependent upon the complexity of the subject.
Marquetry, custom inlays, veneered or solid wood fumiture restoration and repairs, carved signs or subjects are some of the woodworking and artistry services available.
Scroll Art is simply a picture created with a power scroll saw. Using a light colored wood, a pattern commercially available or created by various methods, is attached or transferred to the wood. The silhouetted image is then sawn from the wood. The image is removed from the wood and the remaining wood is backed with contrasting, usually black, felt or poster paper. The result is the silhouette of the subject black against light colored wood creating the finished picture. Various other artwork in wood can be created with the power scroll saw, or manually as done years ago with a fret saw, including marquetry, intarsia and fret work projects.