Silas Kopf - A Marquetry Odyssey

"Demystifying marquetry and bringing it into the 21st century is welcome and timely. It's wonderful that the person who is 'best at it' is open to sharing his uncommon vision."

Wendell Castle, furniture artist

From the review on Amazon: 

"Neatly interwoven with chapters on the evolutionary history of inlay and marquetry, Silas Kopf takes us on a fascinating journey of how his own work has evolved. His influences are concisely documented and it is intriguing to see how they have been absorbed into his many and varied masterpieces. In the finest of colour plates, the reproductions of historically significant works as well as a comprehensive catalogue of Silas' own work, are simply magnificent. Whether your interest is in the history of wood as a form of decoration through the ages, or how one master craftsman soaked up this history and developed into a major figure in the making of 'art furniture' as it can only be described, it is all here in abundance.

With a thirst for knowledge and desire to learn, Silas took every opportunity to travel and work with major figures in furniture making as well as study at the famous l'Ecole Boulle in Paris. Clearly happy to tell us of the help he's had along the way, the revealing story he tells of his own development makes the reading even more enjoyable.

On top of all this, there are appendices on technique which, I'm sure any reader will find of great interest, whether a practitioner or not. How appropriate for this to be called an 'Odyssey', it certainly is the most adventurous of journeys. A must buy - and a super read."

Article about Silas Kopf

Silas Kopf' and his Marquetry Art 

Silas in his studio

Silas Kopf Woodworking

Silas Kopf's Website: http://www.silaskopf.com/

Interview with Silas Kopf

Oral history Interview with Silas Kopf, 2004 Oct. 1, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project For Craft and Decorative Arts in America.

Conducted by Edward S. Cooke, Jr. at the Artist's studio in Easthampton, Massachusetts, October 1, 2004

"Skin Deep: Three masters of American inlaid furniture"

"Skin Deep: Three masters of American inlaid furniture." This was an exhibit about the work of three American marquetry furniture masters: Nathan Lombard (1777-1847); Peter Glass (1824-1901) and Silas Kopf (b. 1949) that took place at the Milwaukee Art Museum, November 22, 2003 - March 2, 2003

'Skin Deep" Exhibit

Silas Kopf... A Day in Marquetry

Video Interview with Neil Lamens of Furnitology Productions

Video Interview with Silas Kopf at his Studio