Koa Jewelry Box with Hibiscus Marquetry_2018

Koa Jewelry Box with Hibiscus Marquetry.
Marquetry is the art of creating pictures or scenes by laying pieces of veneer into a veneer background.  The technique I use is known as double bevel marquetry.  Each piece is hand cut at 11 degrees, into the background.  The next piece is cut to nest into the first piece, and so on.  This technique allows each tapered piece to nest with its neighboring pieces, leaving virtually invisible seams.  When I choose each wood species I keep in mind the effect the color, grain direction and figure has on the final design.  Each design starts with a full size drawing used to transfer the design to the background veneer.  Then each small piece is meticulously bevel cut into the background veneer, one at a time.  The pieces are then individually shaded using hot sand. Lately some of my art has moved to the wall—taking my marquetry to two dimensions and developing a technique to add brilliant color. The scenes I’m able to create with the marquetry, and the use of transparent toners allows the figure of the wood to shimmer through. The driving forces within me cause a continual striving for new skills and techniques.  I seek to balance the aesthetic with the art and engineering to create an object of beauty never before seen.  I combine the art with the craft so the spirit of the tree can live on, enriching the lives of the people for whom it was created.
(D.Reisland)