Gaëtane, Child Portrait Marquetry

In the pursuit of mastering the fusion technique I did this portrait of my niece Gaëtane.

A mix of fusion and piece by piece, cut in 4.

I started from a picture

Chose the woods

And started from the center out. I did not care much about accuracy on that project, I chose to use a temperamental fast cutting to express the energy in the child.

I used a new idea of preparing pre-fusioned pack, piece of veneer in to layers already scrape and sanded through almost to the intended final result. i used those for the hair

Then I added backgrounds and dress. i had 2 bubinga and 2 dyed black maple backgrounds

Then i added some more fusion with curly yellow wood for the hair, a new piece by piece layer of red and purple veneer for the dress and couple touch up on the face.

Final result

Orphéo, Dog Portrait Marquetry

I loved that picture of my sister’s dog and decided to create a marquetry panel for her. Unfortunately by the time I was done (2009) the dog sadly died…

The picture was made piece by piece (classicle method) in 4 layers, I tried again to use contrasting wood and grain direction more than sand shading that I secluded to the tongue. I should have added some to the fit or contrast more the woods as it is a little to flat for my test.

The background was cut to the maximum size the Chevalet can handle

I got a 4th place at the Design in Wood Show 2009

Art Institute of Chicago, marquetry demonstration online

In June 2012 Patrick Edwards and myself were asked to demonstrate marquetry technique related to Boulle and Roentgen. The video os now up and running.
Patrick Edwards does Boulle

Patrice Lejeune does Roentgen

Patrick Edwards demonstrating Boulle with Gigi He cut the marquetry using a tool called foot saw, fret saw, or vertical chevalet. Details at the end of the post

Completed panels

In the meantime, I worked on demonstrating the technique used in the Roentgen workshop.

We decided to present a gift to the museum's benefactors who made this videos on trades possible.

So, on the technical question we have been asked regarding the boulle choices.

Here is an independent confirmation the foot pedal saw was certainly used in Boulle period from Pierre Ramond latest book on Boulle.

Here are couple page of that book on the subject with rough translations

“[...] This scroll saw enables the cutting of big surfaces as it is not limited by a small throat. This system is very old and was used a lot by German marquetry makers and is still in use in the East of France. It was probable that a apparatus of that style was used in Boulle’s workshop.”

“In André-Charles Boulle’s workshop the horizontal chevalet (scroll saw) is the most used. The marquetry packs built with wood, turtleshell, horn, and metals, each layer 1 to 2 mm (1/24 to 1/12 of an inch) thick, are heavy and of large dimensions. They are therefore hard to maintain on a vertical clamp (donkey)”

“The horizontal chevalet, with sliding frame is the scrollsaw ancester. This tool was most probably used under Louis the XIVth to cut Boulle marquetry and painting in wood.”

Experimenting : The Fusion Technique

Last 2008 picture.

I was fascinated by the piercing technique developped by Vriz in France during the 80’s.

The only thing I did not like was the nam, piercing. Piercing is a mistake and I did not like to use that term as the piercing was intended. With Patrick Edwards we finaly settle on the Fusion marquetry term, as it is self explainatory, you fuse to wood together to obtain a new mix, texture, feeling.

My intention was experimenting, get a feeling for the method, but mainly to manage to add shading to this technique, as I never seen fusion marquetry with any on it.

In experimenting : the Fusion Technique, I staged my “discovery”/experience of that newer technique and manage to get that shading that I was looking for.

Here is a variation

Got a 4th place at the Design in Wood Show

2008

On that one I tried to do the opposite of the white cockatoo marquetry, use big pieces, on the verge of abstraction with enough details to suggest the topic of that piece.

Cut on the chevalet de marqueterie using the piece by piece method, in 2 layers.

My first marquetry

My first piece by piece marquetry in École Boulle, Paris, during my marquetry workshop in 1996.
In fact it is my second marquetry the first one could not fit together and I had to recut the all project.
I keep it to remember to not cut to fat.

White Cockatoo, Marquetry

 I started cutting that project in France before to be sponsored by Patrick Edwards and Kristen Arrivee from Antique Refinishers and American School of French Marquetry in 2006. I brought back the half cut pieces and packs in my luggage.

As a restorer I practised marquetry but mainly for repairs. I did couple classicle projects but this picture is the first one I did as an independant wall picture.

I wanted to do something in the Roentgen style, small intricate pieces where the contrast is achieved by the choice of wood more than the shading. The picture I found of that cockatoo was ideal for that.

Choice of wood was critical especially for the bird containing the biggest pieces. Curly maple, beech and tight lacewood. Branches are made with rosewood, mahogany, cherry walnut

The technique used was piece by piece or classical method cut in 4 layers. I used 2 different backgrounds, 2 in oilve ash and 2 in dumpster-dived unknown pinkish veneer. The pinkish being a little to plain I added later some fusion to skyified it a little.

i finally finished it for the 2008 Design in Wood Show and have been lucky enough to have been awarded 1st place