Overlooked by the world of fine art
is the chatoyant light in natural wood veneer.
Although we all know the warmth of wood and appreciate its grain,
most have never seen it's true beauty. The chatoyance has always been hidden by
UV degradation, discolored finishes, man-made stains, fillers, and wax.
The light has almost always been obscured.
I accidentally discovered it in 1995 when bright sunlight struck "Horses" (below)
and it flashed like rubies, gold flecks, lightening streaks, and mother of pearl.
For the next five years as I interpreted pictures and collaborated,
I saw more woods with chatoyance, and deployed them for beauty.
About 2000, while constructing "Ghost Dance,"
I realized that artists could harness the light as an element of composition
and the light itself could yield interpretation.
For example, the medium's live light in "Ghost Dance" below
can suggest a mystical dimension when the shapes seem to dance.
(The photography of these pictures cannot show their true living light
because the camera captures only one reflection from one facet of the wood mirrors.
I have enhanced or distorted them to highlight the areas of radiance.
The spots and areas of light and dark within a color show those reflections.
The life in the light comes when a viewer moves, and as the angle of light changes,
the areas of reflected light turn darker and the dark areas become bright.
Also, lighting on dimmers produce movement as the light shifts from side to side
and the new angles create light and dark fading in and out.)
"Ghost Dance,"Yanktonai Sioux Artist Oscar Howe (1915-1983); Marquetry: Gene Zanni. 2001. 48 x 60.
"By firelight, the spirits of deceased relatives dance with the living."
Photo enhanced to show areas of radiance. See without enhancement.
The reflected firelight on both the living and the dead dancing in a circle
can represent the the Indian cosmology of all nature in the circle of life.
Because the sparkle, glow, and flash in wood
radiates from within the shapes and figures, and the light moves,
the marquetry can make one feel an invisible presence.
Even when there is no emotion stirred,
the viewer is always surprised by a beauty he has never seen before.
The shifting light is a new dimension for artists.
Here, tinted lacquer covers quilted maple, and the wood makes the colors gleam and flash.
"Children at Play." Artist: Oscar Howe (1915-1983). Craft: Gene Zanni. 2003. 48 x 72.
Dark and light spots indicate radiances.
I saw in this picture the universal theme of
man's mystical communion with nature and spirit.
The image is the shape of an egg, a universal symbol of the circle of life.
The children do not touch the ground; their veneer glows and shines
as if they were creatures between the earth and the spirits;
The children play with and are protected by the spirits of relatives
who are as real to them as each other.
The tinted lacquer is to wood as spirit is to man.
The colors flash through the color; the earth is dull.
When fully lighted, the picture is extraordinarily full of gleaming light.
The new dimension of chatoyant light draws surprise and pleasure from everyone.
The background in "Summer Song" is a startlingly bright mother of pearl (wood)
pointing toward an infinite vanishing point. Although poorly photographed,
the image shows some of the texture, pattern, chaos, and color available in natural wood.
"Summer Song," A collaboration. Art: Aikang Chen; Craft: Gene Zanni. 1997. 48 x 72. Photo distorted.
This is the picture that started me thinking about light in wood.
It's a universally meaningful image that is very popular.
Light is in it, but it's not organized to enhance the interpretation.
"Horses" #1. Artist: Mao Jie. Marquetry: Gene Zanni. 1995. 48 x 48. By Permission.
It's hard to believe from this photo that the wood gleams and flashes since
it has not been enhanced or distorted to show its radiances.
Yet I'm crafting the 6th version now because people who see it
realize how unique it is in the world, and willingly pay thousands.
The true beauty of a Marquetry Mural can be seen
only in proper lighting and by the naked eye.
ARTISTS TAKE NOTE
Marquetry has been the hallmark of the finest of woodworkers,
but the finest of artists have overlooked this medium of communication.
They don't know about its truly versatile beauty and its light.
However, today you've learned about a dimension of live light
in a wide natural pallet of hue, texture, chaos, and pattern.
It can suggest the presence of the unseen spirit within and without.
Artists are the practitioners of beauty and the communicators of the spirit.
In the world of fine art, my marquetry is a surprising new beauty.
An artist can use it to suggest the presence of the unseen universal spirit
that every generation of every civilization
has sought to represent.
I'm waiting for a proven talent to ask me how to employ this new look in fine art.
Seize the opportunity to make a contribution.
Forge marquetry's potential into a tool for fine art.