[Brighton] Seagulls win national award

[Affy]

These are incredible. What a sublime talent you have there.

 

[Dinner with Gotsmanov]

Lovely work. good on ya!

 

[Easy 10]

Beautiful pieces that would adorn any wall. You have a remarkable talent.

 

[SUA Seagull]

Beautiful pieces that would adorn any wall. You have a remarkable talent.

Many thanks to everyone who’s posted for your very kind and supportive comments, I am truly overwhelmed by everyone's positive feedback and generosity of spirit.

People often ask me what is the most challenging piece I’ve produced to date and I can answer that question very easily! It’s an interpretation of a painting called “The Winning Card” as per the photo below. It comprises 15,000 individual pieces of hand-cut veneer and it took me 18 months (evenings/weekends) to complete. Coincidentally, the map on the right is of "Sussexia" in the late 1600s! I don’t plan to tackle anything that time consuming again!

Sadly, marquetry is gradually becoming an endangered craft in the UK due to its perceived complexity….but, seriously, anyone with a steady hand can do it, it just requires patience and practice. I started my marquetry passion 30 years ago, by making kits given to me for Xmas and birthday presents and then I just gradually moved towards my own designs. I now teach beginners and intermediates pro bono at a monthly class on the outskirts of Birmingham.

If anyone is interested in considering marquetry as a hobby, there is a Marquetry Society - a non-profit organisation whose sole objective is to promote this traditional craft and prevent it from dying out (I joined them only a year ago). Its membership numbers have fallen in recent years due to member age demographics and the tendency for many people nowadays to prefer the pursuit of hobbies with quicker results. If any of you are interested in this craft feel free to check out the Society’s website at https://www.marquetry.org/ . It costs £28 for 2 years' UK membership, which is not a huge sum of money by today's standards. The membership fee includes 8 quarterly magazines and a free (excellent) DVD/MP4 link on "Marquetry for Beginners".

I am sure that many of you on this forum would both enjoy, and succeed at, this hobby - feel free to PM me if you want to explore further or ask any questions.

 

[Easy 10]

Your work is spectacular, thanks for sharing it here (and keep em' coming!). I'd be interested to see a "work in progress", if you have any of those floating about ?

Anyway, its good to hear that you are teaching and passing on this craft. It would be a real shame if it died out, but sounds like you're doing your bit. More power to your elbow (or scalpel)

 

[Justice]

First of all welcome! Second, puns should always be intended, not only intended but shoe-horned into threads as much as possible.

Codswallop

 

[Cotton Socks]

First of all welcome! Second, puns should always be intended, not only intended but shoe-horned into threads as much as possible.

This is not the plaice to be encouraging puns!

Amazing work @SUA Seagull, could your next one be the Seagull eating the Eagle please?

 

[Winker]

Don't you ever get board making these?

 

[SUA Seagull]

Don't you ever get board making these?

Not really, I just find it's a tree-mendous hobby, fairly easy to twig once you understand the basics and can then branch out into more difficult areas. I wood expect you'll soon cedar benefits of the hobby and become oak-ay at it

 

[Brovion]

Blimey, those are fantastic. I have zero artistic talent and find drawing anything more complex than a stick man to be completely beyond me - even painting by numbers I find a bit challenging keeping all the paint in the right spaces, so I am blown away by your level of skill. Fair play to you.

 

[raymondo]

That's very flattering, thank you. In addition to winning the artistic merit award with the Seagulls pic, I also came first in class 2 (there are 5 classes) with this piece, Day and Night, inspired by the Dutch graphic artist, MC Escher. This took me 6 months to make and required an enormous amount of planning. Check out the 9 interlocking geese in the middle (4 brown, 5 white); there's not a gap between them!

View attachment 182281

That's astonishing... I do love an Escher

 

[raymondo]

Thank you, the problem is it all takes time to do it properly, including design, veneer selection, cutting, glueing, borders, sanding, polishing, waxing etc. The Seagulls picture took me 3 months to make, evenings and weekends (on and off). I completed a large portrait last year that took me 18 months to make (including 15,000 individual hand cut pieces of veneer!). I don't think anyone (except the ultra wealthy!) would be willing to pay for the time and effort it takes to turn out a decent piece.

There are plenty of ultra wealthy on NSC

 

[Victor Chandler]

Inspired by my love of the Albion, and historic family links with Brighton and Hove, I made and entered this piece (entitled "Seagulls over Brighton's West Pier") at this year's Marquetry Society exhibition.....and it picked up 1st place for artistic merit!

It's made entirely from different types of wood veneer, each individually cut with a scalpel. Given the subject matter, I thought I'd share it on NSC.

So the Seagulls did manage to lead the pack in 2024 after all! UTA

View attachment 182275

“Stunning” is a word that is often over used especially by estate agents but that is truly stunning. I have got quite emotional looking at it. Thank you for posting.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Not really, I just find it's a tree-mendous hobby, fairly easy to twig once you understand the basics and can then branch out into more difficult areas. I wood expect you'll soon cedar benefits of the hobby and become oak-ay at it

The marquetry is truly impressive, but you have talents in other areas too, obviously! I think that’s the best pun reply ever.

 

[fly high]

Many thanks to everyone who’s posted for your very kind and supportive comments, I am truly overwhelmed by everyone's positive feedback and generosity of spirit.

People often ask me what is the most challenging piece I’ve produced to date and I can answer that question very easily! It’s an interpretation of a painting called “The Winning Card” as per the photo below. It comprises 15,000 individual pieces of hand-cut veneer and it took me 18 months (evenings/weekends) to complete. Coincidentally, the map on the right is of "Sussexia" in the late 1600s! I don’t plan to tackle anything that time consuming again!

Sadly, marquetry is gradually becoming an endangered craft in the UK due to its perceived complexity….but, seriously, anyone with a steady hand can do it, it just requires patience and practice. I started my marquetry passion 30 years ago, by making kits given to me for Xmas and birthday presents and then I just gradually moved towards my own designs. I now teach beginners and intermediates pro bono at a monthly class on the outskirts of Birmingham.

If anyone is interested in considering marquetry as a hobby, there is a Marquetry Society - a non-profit organisation whose sole objective is to promote this traditional craft and prevent it from dying out (I joined them only a year ago). Its membership numbers have fallen in recent years due to member age demographics and the tendency for many people nowadays to prefer the pursuit of hobbies with quicker results. If any of you are interested in this craft feel free to check out the Society’s website at https://www.marquetry.org/ . It costs £28 for 2 years' UK membership, which is not a huge sum of money by today's standards. The membership fee includes 8 quarterly magazines and a free (excellent) DVD/MP4 link on "Marquetry for Beginners".

I am sure that many of you on this forum would both enjoy, and succeed at, this hobby - feel free to PM me if you want to explore further or ask any questions.

View attachment 182287

That is truly amazing and brilliant

 

[Brovion]

The marquetry is truly impressive, but you have talents in other areas too, obviously! I think that’s the best pun reply ever.

Rubbish. Unless there IS a fish called an Oak-ay.

 

[SUA Seagull]

The marquetry is truly impressive, but you have talents in other areas too, obviously! I think that’s the best pun reply ever.

@DavidinSouthampton....have yew considered setting up a Sussex Marquetry Society splinter group, with yew at the 'elm?

I'm really looking forward to the Chelsea game and just hope our lads are up fir it and aren't already on the beech, or get thwarted by the (wil)low block. I hope RDZ starts Bark-o, Lamptree and Hinshelwood - such a shame that Holly Larch is still injured!

 

[Justice]

Inspired by my love of the Albion, and historic family links with Brighton and Hove, I made and entered this piece (entitled "Seagulls over Brighton's West Pier") at this year's Marquetry Society exhibition.....and it picked up 1st place for artistic merit!

It's made entirely from different types of wood veneer, each individually cut with a scalpel. Given the subject matter, I thought I'd share it on NSC.

So the Seagulls did manage to lead the pack in 2024 after all! UTA

View attachment 182275

Quality mate the same seagulls with a back drop of the Amex would be cool.

 

[SUA Seagull]

Quality mate the same seagulls with a back drop of the Amex would be cool.

Thanks - interestingly, that was my first thought when designing the original image and it then became a toss-up between the West Pier and the Amex, and I opted for the West Pier for sentimental/family reasons. But I definitely have the Amex in mind for another piece with (as @Cotton Socks had mentioned!) a seagull and eagle in aerial combat above it (I have already planned that element, with the seagull winning, obviously!)

 

[SUA Seagull]

Your work is spectacular, thanks for sharing it here (and keep em' coming!). I'd be interested to see a "work in progress", if you have any of those floating about ?

Anyway, its good to hear that you are teaching and passing on this craft. It would be a real shame if it died out, but sounds like you're doing your bit. More power to your elbow (or scalpel)

Thank you @Easy 10 , it's always hugely encouraging when others show their appreciation.

With regard to your WIP question, I put together this collage of the construction stages of my Seagulls picture for the group at which I teach. The veneers are only 0.6mm thick, with each "waste" piece cut out and each new piece laid in and glued to the adjacent piece one at a time. The whole picture is totally flat and when all of the desired veneer pieces have been laid in you add borders then mount the whole assembly on a backboard, then sand, polish etc. If you want to see how it's done just look up "marquetry window method" on Youtube. Enjoy!