Drawing with Wood

Max Hymes

I have discovered a really interesting visual artist who uses marquetry within his work. Max Hymes is a sculptor whose works incorporate various elements of traditional craft alongside modern materials, concepts and techniques. I like his approach and what he is producing which makes reference to significant periods within the history of craft whilst amalgamating historical and contemporary aesthetic tastes.

The Arts and Crafts movement is so important to the study of craft that taking this into account in some way seems inevitable. Pointing to ideas regarding local materials, the exotic and heterogeneous societies- there seems to be a lot going on within Hymes' work; this is reflected in an eclectic style which seems to incorporate amongst other things elements of folk art alongside the more lavish notion of the objet d'art.

I have been thinking about ranges of materials too from the available and inexpensive to the natural and manmade, what we consider luxurious and those taken entirely for granted. Within marquetry there is a huge array of materials to consider. Some of the manmade veneers I have encountered are themselves quite bizarre, fabricated grains that mimic those to be found naturally. Some I find look like retro prints or designs you might find on an out of date jumper. I think within marquetry circles these are more often than not dismissed for being inauthentic and are used more for backing pictures rather than playing a significant part in the actual design.

I think these manmade veneers have their own qualities though that are worth considering and in reality we are surrounded by them everyday, from laminate floors to those plastic walnut finishes that appear to look so great on car doors.

Some of Max Hymes work and other links can be found at the bearspace gallery website below

http://www.bearspace.co.uk/home.html

Silas Kopf

Silas Kopf is an American artist with a high profile for his marquetry he is an example of someone that seems very engaged with the practice it's tradition and history. With a degree in architecture his wood working came later, discovering marquetry whilst working in various workshop situations for other people.

Kopf's work is essentially commercial applying his marquetry to all sorts of furniture, cabinet making in general being an important theme underlying what he does and that specific tradition. I like fact that this can be related to a background in an architecture where the construction of a utilitarian object was the main objective, underpinned by drawing. Thinking about this in relation to kopf's furniture production connections are definitely apparent. Kopf has a market for his work and makes things to sell. Despite this he does sit on the fence a little in terms of his art although he doesn't seem to care too much, essentially calling himself a craftsmen and making his own admission that his work will never be acknowledged as avant garde.

I ‘think I'm a good craftsman and that what I do is interesting because of the level of skill that goes into it, and that if somebody finds some art content in it, either that it's an interesting furniture design or there is an interesting pictographic concept, so much the better' Kopf

(Actually reading interviews with various people involved with the Marquetry society in the UK they generally seem indifferent to whether they are called artists or craftsmen or if what they do is Art or craft which is probably a good thing.)

Working in the ‘trompe l’oiel' tradition Kopfs pieces ranges from the satisfying trickery of table tops to some things that are downright weird (Betty Boo having sex with a peanut??) From what I have seen I note a struggle with the aesthetic and the subject, particularly the portraiture which some of the more bizarre works play on, but not to undermine a certain originality. I like the way he talks about his work though and his discipline and respect for his craft of which he is clearly amongst the elite in terms of skill.

http://www.silaskopf.com/index.html

The website seems to illustrate commercial stuff and I think there are more interesting images of his work elsewhere. Various things I have read lead to interesting questions and considerations however…….

‘can you really get emotional content out of it that surpasses just the awesomeness of the fact that it is done in wood? I'm always fighting-not fighting that, but that is a thing that I think about. Seduction of the material and technique' Kopf

This relates to how I can't seem to detach myself from having to relate the content of marquetry to wood as a material, the fundamental struggle of subject matter. It is interesting that someone in Kopfs position mentions this and also how the skill and material tends to takes priority over the content.

Kopf also seems actively engaged with issues of sustainability and ecology surrounding working with tropical timbers. Something I haven't really written about but that is a question that seems to be raised within the practice and is increasingly relevant.

Having studied in Europe and practicing marquetry professionally for many years Kopf is a central figure in the continuation of the precision of the craft of marquetry. Work for Steinway Pianos illustrates this and he seems to be out on his own in a way in terms of his market and profession. He also provides some interesting reference points in the way of Art nouveau artists whose work he has been influenced by.

Revision

As I progress I find I look back at things I've written and want to change them. I feel a bit like a naughty school girl making changes to previous entries so I think it is better to reflect within the blog rather than becoming my own editor. Infact I seem to have become a little bit preoccupied with thinking about what a blog actually is that I am getting distracted from the main point of it all.

One thing I thought about earlier was the technical skill of perfecting a craft. I felt as if this were secondary to my ideas in some way but now I'm not sure this sounded right. The whole point of adopting Marquetry was to use it as it should be and to produce work properly and with skill, be it in my own way. Finding a way to unite the precision of craft with my own practice and general attitiudes toward making is crucial.

It is the skill with working veneer that gives it such potential not just the material itself. It isn't just having the ideas to try and come up with something original but acknowledging the tradition and history of craft itself which is rooted in great skill.

I can see I have the potential to improve technically, ( and have done already to some extent) this seems natural and essential to the development of my work.

Commercial crafts

A few days ago I listened to a basket maker talk about her craft and was inspired by her enthusiasm. Another archetypal rural craft the relationship to maker and material is fascinating and incredibly linked to the environment and nature.

In relation to the last entry I made about straw one of the objects discussed incorporated this into it. A dainty chair of rushed seating from France incorporated straw within the weave to give a gold finish. I have always taken for granted this type of furniture but it has an incredible amount of effort invested in it and I will be bearing this in mind from now on when parking myself.

As twigs are becoming a bit of a reoccurring theme for me the thought of raiding hedgerows and bushes for material is very appealing. Like veneer the qualities of the branches are diverse and hearing this talked about seemed to have a lot in common with the way I have been thinking about wood. Basket making seems to be in an ambiguous place commercially and artistically, woven baskets that we would think nothing about buying for very little are all handmade. Extremes of woven materials exist between the luxury of a traditionally made object and those imported and undervalued. The evolution of such a craft into an art form feels like an important consideration, not just in a sense of form over function but historically and culturally too.

To think about Marquetry commercially is also interesting. Laser cutting means that designs that would have traditionally have taken many many hours to cut by hand can now be produced quickly and with impeccable accuracy. A company in Wales produces Marquetry in this way commercially which is intriguing.

What is the demand for Marquetry commercially and who is buying it?……….well looking at the link Stella McCartney seems to be a happy customer and it is certainly interesting to see what is on offer and what people appear to be buying, not to mention a question of taste. There are some interesting commissions on the site from interior designers and architects. If one were to undertake a large scale project this approach could enable marquetry to be used with much less restriction for the artist. Marquetry could be produced on a huge scale as public works or with architecture in mind?

Panelling, billboards, the sides of buildings or expanses of wall……..lots to get carried away with

www.aryma.co.uk

Straw Marquetry

Marquetry isn't exclusive of wood, which I may have appeared to have overlooked so far. Shell, mother of pearl and straw are among other materials that are able to be inlaid in some form to be known as Marquetry.

Straw is of interest to me as being on a farm and handling it as part of my daily routine the material feels familiar. Straw Marquetry really does feel like a rural craft and somehow more feminine?? I think because it's gold and shiney. The guild of straw craftsmen has a section dedicated to this branch of working with straw alongside many other techniques and practices. The corn dolly is an iconic symbol of traditional rural folk art and it appears that straw as a material in general is steeped in tradition and at times great eccentricity.

Straw itself can be sub divided into types and doesn't exclusively apply to wheat, although generally it is wheat that is used (apparently oats are very good for Marquetry) Connecting to farming and the countryside craftsmen working with these crops have an important role to play in the history of farming and the land. Like thatching, the creativity that belongs to this material is enormous.

The technique of using straw for marquetry is pretty simple, carefully slit and flattened the straw can be opened out then arranged to form a picture or cover a surface. My initial foray into this area has been to expose the pure goldeness of the material. Talking about the familiarity of bales of straw it is quite different to be concentrating on individual stems. The variation of colour, texture and size is broad ranging; it feels strange to be using this particular agricultural material in this way when I'm more used to spreading it about as bedding for cows.

The lightness of both colour and weight can be played upon and it is the natural shine and range of golden tones which seems to be the main value of the material in marquetry. It's certainly a lot different from working with veneer but in a way just as intriguing.

Link to the guild of Straw craftsmen – recommend Elda Heidemanns dyed straw marquetry- wonderfully folky and lots of other interesting straw related things.

http://www.strawcraftsmen.co.uk/links.html