I thought I'd share with everyone something that nobody but the artist gets to see when creating marquetry (wood inlay) artwork... the way the picture magically changes when you apply the first coat of finish.
The video is included below...
Background info: My work is made of hand cut pieces of different exotic woods from around the world fit together to form a picture. There is no stain or dye used... I use only the natural wood colors and grain patterns. The true art of marquetry is to use those unusual grain patterns to look like the part of the picture it represents. If you can get the wood grain to look just like sky, water, sand, grass or leaves then the picture truely comes to life.
The wood's apperance drastically changes once a clear coat of finish is applied, as you can see in this video...
(after you start it, hit the button in the lower right corner to make it full screen, then hit the "esc" button on the keyboard when it is done to go back to normal)
I always thought that it was a shame that I was the only one who got to see this exciting aspect to creating artwork from wood. So, once I started doing commission work, I thought it would be a nice touch to record that moment and give the client the DVD for them to enjoy. They have responded very positively to it. And, I'm glad I have this record for myself of these fleeting moments.
Here is another, if you are interested....
Let me know if you enjoyed the magic...
Charles Bingham
