Since the Pharos, the emphasis in marquetry and its many sub-divisions
has always been on the clever skill of the craftsman
as he joins the sometimes tiny pieces of wood together precisely.
Museums classify marquetry as a decorative art found mostly in furniture.
(We've all seen those works of precision displaying repetitive geometry
as well as intricate florets and leafy vines with admirable craftsmanship.)
But the work is not fine art.
Even when it's pictorial, it doesn't measure up to fine art's criteria.
Its focus is the craft, not the art.
Even today, marquetarians are most proud of their craftsmanship.
Only a very few are true artists, and sadly, they don't use
all the possibilities of wood's properties to express their ideas.
The New Philosophy is that wood veneer is an art medium
equal to paint, stone, and metal, and has its own unique visual effects.
The marquetry artist should should concentrate on the genius of the message
and use the enhanced beauty and wood subtleties and light
to communicate more effectively than with another medium.
The art is primary. The craft serves.
This philosophy has led me to establish personal rules:
Marquetry Murals are large. A large cutting of wood
shows the pattern, texture, end and flat grains, shades of color,
idiosyncratic variations, and the direction of the chatoyances.
A small piece shows only color and thus the glory of the medium is lost.
I don't do pictures less than 10 sf. My largest was 10 ft. x 12 ft.
Museum quality fine art is my goal in every picture.
But perfection is hard, and once in a while I'll do a picture two or three times
before it's right. The not-so-good hide in friends' homes; the failures perish.
No picture of mine has lasted in an art gallery for more than four days.
Most sales are to individuals.
Natural wood veneer as it is sliced or peeled from the log
is ninety-nine percent of the beauty of a Marquetry Mural.
The one percent is black dyed birch, an ebony substitute (endangered species).
Although the best veneer is rare, expensive, and often not available,
only the natural wood has the exotic twists, patterns, chaos, and color
that make a picture a singular work worthy of an insightful collector.
Lately, as in "Children at Play," I have experimented with tinted lacquer.
The light effect is beautiful, but is it marquetry?
Am I contradicting myself?
The finishing and finish of marquetry is equal in importance to the woodworking.
Nevertheless, it is often neglected by marquetarians.
Many pieces become dark or faded over time because wood oxidizes,
and because most finishes have an amber tint or they darken over time.
Some do not reveal the true color of the wood; some blur the wood's detail.
The Marquetry Murals finish (as of 2001) brings out the full color
and detail, is water clear and table-top durable,
and is UV shielded through my chemistry.
Both wood and finish will stay original.
Lighting is important. The right lighting turns a mural into something
magically radiant and strikingly beautiful. If you skimp on lighting,
you might as well put a watercolor up instead.
Every picture and every installation is different. You must experiment.
Generally, the whole surface should be illuminated with
100 footcandles of UV filtered white light between 3200-3800 Kelvin.
The light source works best when it comes from the side--one or both--
and above the picture. Play with 30-45 degrees from the wall.
Sometimes a picture requires light from the top close to the wall.
If the client doesn't promise to light it properly, I won't sell it.
Quality art is hard to find. Finding classically trained artists or commanding pictures
that fit marquetry's advantages and limitations is a struggle for me, a non-artist.
You've read this far; maybe you're interested.
If you know of an artist, or a body of work, or just one strong picture
that's possibly suitable for marquetry,
please let me know.