Silas Kopf's 'Founding Fathers Writing Table'

Detail from 'Founding Fathers writing Table'
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Silas shared his thoughts with me about his 'Founding Fathers Writing Table'. Like the Founding Fathers, Silas is a master at his vocation and has a knack for being where the action is. So when curators and fellow master woodworkers Bill Jewel and Jacques Vesery invited him to participate in the "National Treasures: History in the Making" exhibit  at the Architectural Digest show (March 18 - 21, 2010) in New York City, he was ready.

"National Treasures: History in the Making"

"Bill Jewel, of Historical Woods of America, approached me about the possibility of an exhibit using American woods from the homes of the Founding Fathers. I was intrigued, but my concern was trying to make a marquetry image with a limited palette of woods that grow in Virginia."

Founding Fathers writing table
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"In my mind the piece had to reference history, yet be of a contemporary design. I opted for a writing table with a trompe l’oeil top depicting a surface that had objects of the 18th century. To make trompe l’oeil believable on a horizontal surface the objects need to be relatively flat. My starting point was paper and something being written on it with a quill pen. I chose words from the Declaration of Independence, as if Jefferson were working on a draft. I put the words “this truth” and crossed it out, writing about “these truths”. I needed some additional flat objects to fill the composition. An open envelope with a broken wax seal. Old-fashioned glasses. Brass keys."

Marquetry trompe l'oeil table top
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"The woods offered were limited in tone. The darkest wood was walnut, the lightest a creamy colored ash. The rest of the woods were somewhere in between. There were some golden tones that I thought would be successful for the brass in the glasses and the keys. To get a darker “black” for the ink and a few of the other parts I used the endgrain cut of the walnut. There was only one wood offered that had any significant figure, but in some ways it was the most important tree of all the historic woods. It was a horse chestnut tree documented as having been planted by George Washington in Fredericksburg. It was the last standing of thirteen symbolically planted by Washington between his sister’s and mother’s houses over two hundred years ago."

Marquetry with figured horse chestnut and other historic woods
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"The board I was offered was of a very limited size but I was able to cut it into veneers and cover the top surface. The fact that there was both heartwood and sapwood, and some figure along with the unusual grey color, made it ideal for the background because the plainer woods of the marquetry objects would stand out in contrast. A few years ago I had worked on the Walden Woods Piano and was challenged in a similar way to use a limited palette of woods, all from temperate forest and nothing tropical. In the Founding Fathers Writing Table the focus was even narrower, with all the woods coming from Virginia. I did use at least a little piece of all the fifteen woods that were offered."

Craig Thibodeau's Dogwood Marquetry Buffet

Craig in his studio

Craig sent some photos of his new 'dogwood marquetry buffet', so I'll focus this post on Craig's dogwood theme. It's a good example of marquetry's affinity for natural imagery. In a recent post - Craig Thibodeau's Art Deco Chess Table - I presented some of his Art Deco pieces. Silas Kopf was originally attracted to marquetry by the Art Nouveau floral designs of Galle and Majorelle. Craig took a course from Paul Schurch, another master at enhancing furniture designs with natural marquetry imagery. Like Silas and Paul, Craig is constantly expanding his marquetry and furniture design vocabulary while developing his own unique look. 

Dogwood flower marquetry motif
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Here are the pictures of this impressive dogwood marquetry buffet. I've added some images of Craig's other dogwood embellished furniture pieces, as well as one gardenia themed sideboard and mirror. Marquetry can morph into an endless variety of themes and shapes.

Gradually a complete view of Craig's profile and portfolio will coalesce into the MiArtStudio gallery.

Craig Thibodeau's Gallery Portfolio
To see more examples go to Craig's gallery portfolio or his site at ctfinefurniture.com.

The 'Dogwood Marquetry Buffet'

 Dogwood Marquetry Buffet

  marquetry on an ash burl background with a wenge framework
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Detail of marquetry design on cabinet doors
Dogwood flowers are holly with sand-shading
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Craig Thibodeau's Art Deco Chess Table

Craig Thibodeau in his studio

Craig Thibodeau grew up around woodworking and enjoyed it as a hobby. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering and started a career in industrial product design. However, after his children were born, his hobby became a home-based vocation and his workshop became a professional studio.

A series of specialized courses

To intensify and deepen this transition he immersed himself in a series of specialized courses, such as:

• Advanced marquetry and veneering with Paul Shurch
• Hand applied finishes at the College of the Redwoods
• Traditional French Marquetry with Patrick Edwards
• Compound Bending with Brian Newell

This is part one of a two-part post

In this first part I'll focus on a few Ruhlmann-inspired Art Deco furniture pieces. I spoke with Craig after I made my last two posts: 'Rodney Black's Art Deco vision for Lady Christine IV interiors'; and 'Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann: genius of Art Deco' . Since I was planning to do a post on Craig's marquetry-enriched furniture designs, he suggested that I start with a few of his Art Deco tables and accessories.

As Silas Kopf pointed out in my last post:

"The man who has had the greatest influence on designer-craftsmen of furniture in the last 100 years is undoubtedly Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann"

One fine example of this is Craig Thibodeau's Art Deco Chess table

  

  Art Deco Chess Table

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For more images and information about this topic click on the button below

Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco

      

Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann

 "The work of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879–1933) epitomizes the glamour of the French Art Deco style of the 1920s. Aesthetic refinement, sumptuous materials, and impeccable craftsmanship place his work on a par with the finest furniture and decorative arts of any era. The most renowned designer of his day, Ruhlmann could provide any element needed for an interior, from the furniture to the lighting, ceramics, carpets, and textiles. This retrospective examines all aspects of the legendary designer's career, augmenting the Metropolitan Museum’s own significant holdings of Ruhlmann’s works with major loans from public and private U.S. and international collections. The exhibition also provides a unique opportunity to see the best of Art Deco."

[Text from the introduction to the 2004 Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC]

There are many wonderful resources for getting to know more about Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann and the Art Deco movement. You can find links to several of them below: 

1.  Art Deco Complete by Alastair Duncan
2.  Art Deco Furniture: The French Designers by Alastair Duncan
3.  The Ruhlmann website created by Frank Pollaro as a tribute to his mentor
4.  Ruhlmann: Genius of Art Deco  exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004
5. A Marquetry Odyssey by Silas Kopf ('Art Deco' on Page 144  and 'Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann' on page 145 )

Ruhlmann Pavilion at 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes

"The man who has had the greatest influence on designer-craftsmen of furniture in the last 100 years is undoubtedly Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann" writes Silas Kopf. "He stood in a long line of great French decorative artists and led the way with innovative ideas, energetic designs, and uncompromising quality. He was a compete decorateur, providing clients with a total look for the interior."

Silas Kopf - page 144 of A Marquetry Odyssey

Sideboard: Meuble De Char (1922) Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann

For more images and information about this topic click on the button below

Rodney Black's Art Deco Vision For Lady Christine IV Interiors

Owners Lord and Lady Laidlaw commissioned Feadship companies Royal Van Lent Shipyards and DeVoogt Navel Architects to design and build their new superyacht 'Lady Christine IV'.

Lady Christine IV

Rodney Black Design Studio's first superyacht commission

Lord and Lady Laidlaw commissioned British designer Rodney Black, principal of the renowned architecture, interior design and landscaping firm Rodney Black Design Studios, to lead the interior design team. Rodney Black worked very closely with the owners, Irvine and Christine Laidlaw and Royal Van Lent to assemble a formidable team of crafts-based specialists. These included: Van Der Loo (Feadship's joinery company); Struik and Hamerslag (yacht cabinetry); Bill Cleyndert and Company Ltd (joinery and bespoke furniture); and ARYMA (marquetry design and fabrication).

Extraordinary levels of fine detailing and finish throughout

[Main panels with Mother-of-Pearl, framed in cherrywood with ebony mouldings and amboyna panels, 
criss-cross ebony inlay columns topped off with a Deco shell capital in gold leaf]

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Monaco Yacht Show

I spoke with Rodney Black at his studio in England a couple of days before he joined Lord and Lady Laidlaw at the Monaco Yacht Show, where they showcased 'Lady Christine IV' to an invite only audience. He sent me these high-resolution images along with some images from his site. I am also referencing the press release at the Feadship site and my earlier post on this project from the perspective of Howard Sansome and ARYMA.

"Our starting point for the interior design was an early rarefied form of Art Deco based on the the 1925 "Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes" in Paris and to a lesser extent, the French luxury liner 'Normandie', whose maiden voyage was in 1935" explains Rodney Black. "This pure modernist expression featured a paired down form of classicism using the most beautiful materials and shapes imaginable at the time."

Art Deco interior with marquetry and inlay as the keynote

Rodney Black went on to explain that the owners' brief was for an Art Deco themed interior with marquetry and inlay as the keynote. They also envisioned four major marquetry art panels: a triptych that portrays the natural and architectural wonders of the world; as well as a piece that celebrates the modes of travel that have enabled them to experience these places together.

Bespoke Art Deco Sofa
[Curved joinery and curvilinear inlay of sleigh design sofa]

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A cohesive vision

Rodney Black received this brief and created a cohesive vision for his clients' aspirations. He and his team produced hundreds of drawings, including the initial free-hand sketches for the marquetry art panels. The Laidlaws worked with them, signing-off on each plan. Rodney Black's vision was for the early Deco period's pure modernist expression to serve as a foundation for the Lady Christine's style, clearly referencing the brilliant artwork of designers such as Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, René Lalique and Edgar Brandt; however, nothing is copied, it's all uniquely designed.

The early Art Deco aesthetic
[Initial inspiration for marquetry motif on door came from Art Deco designer Edgar Brandt's 1925 fire screen]

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Marquetry Superyacht Installation Depicts Iconic Architecture

Howard Sansome announces the completion of ARYMA's latest superyacht installation 

ARYMA's Superyacht Installation
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I spoke with Howard Sansome, ARYMA's owner, just after he returned from the Royal Van Lent shipyards in Amsterdam, where the new yacht "Lady Christine IV" is currently docked while the interiors, designed and created by Rodney Black Design Studios, are being completed by Royal Van Lent and Feadship's joinery company Van der Loo. 

   

  The Taj Mahal

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"Our work is about visual impact and adding visual impact to interiors"

Detail of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul
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"We recently completed a project for a client's superyacht. I've just been supervising the final installation of several large marquetry panels." Explained Howard, "A high level of detail was the brief from the client. There are architectural, iconic buildings that everyone will recognize and just say - what, are you kidding me - that's made of wood?"

First Panel of Superyacht Set
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Central Panel of Superyacht Set
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Right Panel of Superyacht Set
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"Completing this set of large scale marquetry panels to such a high standard is an incredible achievement given the level of detail our client required. We are immensely proud of the part we have played in delivering this vision."

Lady Christine's front entry

Architectural wonders of the world triptych

Aaron Radelow - Modern Marquetry Master

Aaron demonstrates traditional marquetry cutting with the 'Chevalet'

Aaron K. Radelow has dedicated himself to becoming one of the most dynamic and versatile custom furniture makers in America today. For the past fifteen years, Aaron has been hand producing original designs and masterful re-creations in his native San Diego, California. The outsourcing of process steps, such as metalwork is limited to ensure that the style and method of design and construction is held to the very highest standards of quality - an aspect of his ethic that establishes him not only as a master craftsman, but also as an artist.

(Excerpted from the Aaron Radelow Custom Wood Design website - kd)

"If the day ever comes when my work may be categorized, that will be the day I start in search of something more challenging, for my ultimate goal is to be constantly evolving as an artist and by so doing bringing life to unique and emotive creations."

Aaron's Louis XIV Reading and Writing Tables surround the original in the Getty Museum
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 "To end up with a finished, polished piece of furniture, is, ah, how can I put it?" Radelow says, "Intense."

 

  Blue and White Reading and Writing Table  

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Here's a bit of information regarding Aaron Radelow:

Ligné Agency is honored to announce the addition of Aaron Radelow, a craftsman who specializes in wood work and inlay that has not been seen since the days of Boulle and Pierre Gole.  His work is nothing less than museum quality, handcrafted in the finest materials.  His work spans from antique restoration to full commissioned cabinets and writing desks.  Most notable are his Louis XIV writing tables that were created based on an original currently located in the Getty Museum.
Posted by Meredith Xavier, principal at Ligne Agency, on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.

Cube marquetry from Aaron's Contemporary Collection
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Marquetry 'Shift' Table To Be Featured In Vogue and Wallpaper

Patternity Shift Table // A Collaboration With Toby Winteringham // As Featured In VOGUE September 2010

'The Shift Table'

Updates regarding Toby Winteringham's studio and 'Patternity':

• Patternity's 'Shift' and 'Phase' have received some good interest and appeared on several blogs [including MiArtStudio - kd] 

• Shift is currently being photographed for Wallpaper* magazine

• The Phase sideboard and Bureau were featured in the Saturday Telegraph and Sunday Times Home section in June 

• "We are delighted the the articles were both celebrating hand made crafts."

• Lark Books' new publication 500 Cabinets features two Winteringham pieces: 'Phase' and the 'Limed Oak Bowline' sideboard

• The Norfolk Furniture Makers have a third showcase exhibition this year:

         October 21st - 27 Aldeburgh Gallery, Aldeburgh, Suffolk

Jeff Nelson's "Ocean Paradise" Marquetry

Jeffrey Alan Nelson

Jeff Nelson Composing

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Composing With Nature's Palette

Jeff's love for drawing and painting brought him to the San Francisco Art Institute in the mid 1970's, where he discovered his passion for the inlay arts. Jeff has been perfecting his signature style of marquetry artwork and furniture design since he began working with the art form in 1978. He has followed his passion for illustrating natural, architectural and imaginary forms ever since.

"Learning to ‘see’ in the palette of natural materials — hardwoods, shells and minerals is a discipline that takes time and patience to master" states Jeff, "It's a ‘whole being’ kind of involvement."

Ocean Paradise Artwork 

One of the most striking elements in Jeff Nelson's Ocean Paradise marquetry art panel is the rippling water that is rendered in an Aqua-dyed, figured Harewood.

"Honu" - Sea Turtle

"Honu" has been one of Jeff's favorite motif's since he composed his "Kauai Kingdom" piece after a trip to Kauai.

This 70" X 48" piece is mounted on an ultra-light honeycomb substrate, weighing only 45 pounds. These substrates are ultra-light yet very sturdy. They are being used by leading artists such as Yannick Chastang, studios like ARYMA and design firms like LINLEY. I will do a post on this emerging trend in the next few weeks. - kd

Parrot Fish with Paua Abalone

Design and Fabrication
Jeff introduced the prototype for his "Ocean Paradise" design at the Hospitality and Design Expo in Las Vegas last May. He will start producing them on a make-to-order basis this summer and, as is common practice among leading marquetry artists, will be able to design custom variations on this and other themes.

                                                           




                                            

"Ocean Paradise"
( 6' X 4' Marquetry Art Panel ) 

"Ocean Paradise" is the latest in a series of undersea artworks by this nature loving artist. You can follow this link to see two of his earlier pieces: the "Ocean Paradise" triptyche and "Kauai Kingdom".

Marquetry Masters Presenting At 2010 Furniture Society Conference

The 2010 Furniture Society Conference, Fusions: Minds and Hands Shaping Our Future

The conference will convene June 16-19 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. The cultural richness of Boston with its many galleries, museums and educational institutions will greatly enhance the 2010 conference proceedings taking place on the MIT campus.

MIT Stata Center







The 2010 Furniture Society Conference, Fusions: Minds And Hands Shaping Our Future

Fusions is all about the fluid relationships between mind and hand, tool and material, maker and client, technique and theory. In focusing on the theme of fusion—the merging of diverse, distinct elements into a unified whole—the conference will bring together makers and designers, collectors, educators and curators to address the role of furniture in today's society as well as the historical context and future of contemporary furniture.

For complete information go to this link for the Furniture Society website.

For more information about the inlay arts presenters, go to the 'Read more' link:

Maria Pergay's Brilliant Furniture Designs - Fusing Marquetry with Stainless Steel

Maria Pergay: Between Ideas and Design

Maria Pergay

Hello to All That: A 70's Star Reborn  

Stuart Isett for the New York Times

Currents | QandA

New York Times

Maria Pergay, 79, Furniture Designer 

By RIMA SUQI
Published: May 19, 2010

Last weekend, while New York City was overrun by design enthusiasts in town for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, Maria Pergay, a 79-year-old Parisian furniture designer relatively unknown in this country, was ensconced in a nautical modernist room at the Maritime Hotel.

She was in New York not for the furniture fair — an event, it turns out, that she has never heard of — but to show her latest work at the Demisch Danant gallery in Chelsea (including a sofa of broken bricks she is shown sitting on). Those expecting a woman of her age to produce soft, feminine, upholstered pieces appropriate for a Paris pied-à-terre may be surprised by what has been Ms. Pergay’s material of choice for decades: stainless steel...

"Making Its Mark"

Nancy A. Ruhling,

Art and Antiques, 2006

"Today, a handful of renowed artists, notably Silas Kopf, Maria Pergay, Jay Stanger and Jean-Charles Spindler, innovatively employ marquetry and parquetry and inlay and intarsia in their work as a means to an artistic end. “There are not a lot of contemporary artists working with marquetry,” says Scott Jacobson, owner of Manhattan’s Leo Kaplan Modern. “It’s highly skilled work and painstaking.”

Regardless of the style or type of inlay, the wide appeal of marquetry is more than surface deep. Art lovers, for example, are drawn to Pergay’s work, which incorporates stainless steel inlays in a variety of finishes and other unusual combinations of precious woods and natural elements like mother of pearl, says Suzanna Demisch, a partner in Manhattan’s Demisch Danant, “because they can’t figure out how it’s done.”

While cutting-edge sculptural works like Pergay’s, which sell for $15,000 to $150,000, prove that marquetry and parquetry and inlays and intarsia always will have a place in the art world, the craft it takes to turn out tour-de-force pieces is another matter."

Alain Taral - 'Bound For Success' in New York City - Marquetry and Bookbinding

Alain Taral 

Alain Taral
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Alain Taral and 'Bound For Success' in NYC

Thanks to my friends at Paper Dragon Books I can give you the promised update from my February 2010 post: Alain Taral and the 'Bound For Success' International Bookbinding Exhibition

www.designerbookbinders.uk.org

Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Marquetry and bindings of Alain Taral

From a recent post by Gavin Dovey at Paper Dragon Books:

"It was my good fortune recently at the Grolier club in town, to meet among others the winner of the 2009 International Bookbinding competition, Alain Taral.It was my further good fortune to arrange a meeting at the bindery today through his student and interpreter Laurence Fayard, who now is living and working in Brooklyn, and I am very glad I did.

It was a great opportunity to see a completely different style and approach to binding, and its always nice to meet other binders anyway.

Alain started binding in Toulon in 1989.A client had asked for a binding using wood, and so began his career, perfecting his solid wood, and veneer bindings, complete with the most exquisite inlaying and marquetry.

Its all about the hinge...a kind of piano hinge built around metal rods, or pins."  

"Its all about the hinge...a kind of piano hinge built around metal rods, or pins."
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