An interesting exhibition, “Elements: Expressions in Wood, Metal and Stone”, was recently hosted by the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art. The art museum, a small, lesser-known venue in the town of Buckhead Georgia, is dedicated to preserving the works of Steffen Thomas (1906-1990). The art museum’s website describes the artist this way: “Not happy unless he was making something, his vast output and ceaseless experimentation with every available medium are his work’s most characteristic aspects.” The Elements exhibition aimed to “honor the legacy of Steffen’s three-dimensional work by displaying selections from our permanent collection alongside contemporary regional sculptors working in wood, metal and stone”. The below Zodiac Chandelier (ca. 1965), made by Thomas from welded copper, is one of the many works on display.
The Zodiac Chandelier was originally a focal point in the Thomas family’s living room. It hung above the huge dining table which can be seen in the Steffen Thomas Family Room Gallery at the museum.
The table and the matching benches are covered in gorgeous Venetian glass mosaic artworks by Thomas. Being a big fan of mosaics, I was thrilled to see a number of Thomas’ mosaic pieces at the museum. Here’s a closer look at the Break Through into Outer Space mosaic artwork on the dining table.
The variety and originality of Thomas’ work is striking. It would take several hours to fully appreciate all the pieces on display but the work I’d come to see was part of the Elements exhibition. Jeffrey Waller’s intarsia art was highlighted in a local newspaper article and I was eager to see it in person. Shown below is Waller’s artwork called Southern Girl.
At first glance, Southern Girl appears to be a beautiful two-dimensional painting. But as the charming subject draws in the viewer for a closer look, the surprise is revealed. This artwork is made of wood! I was vaguely familiar with intarsia and knew it was made with pieces of wood but I wasn’t expecting this! Waller’s work takes intarsia to a whole new level. Waller describes intarsia as “a picture mosaic in wood”. Dozens of separate wooden pieces fit together perfectly to create the overall picture. Here’s a closer look at Southern Girl.
Intarsia pieces, I’ve learned, are typically cut from a variety of wood species with a scroll saw. Variation in wood color and grain are typically used to “paint” the picture. Sometimes, as appears to be the case in this work, color is added judiciously. The pieces may be textured by carving and imprinting. Pieces are typically contoured with careful sanding. Each piece is finished and prepared for assembly. Then the finished pieces are reassembled into the final work, like a jigsaw puzzle, and adhered to a backing. This closeup from Waller’s work Tranquility illustrates the point.
It strikes me that this process is quite similar to making glass mosaics with a few notable exceptions. Grout lines are a strong characteristic of glass mosaics—the lines are a fundamental element of the design with the grout filling the gaps between the tesserae. There are no grout lines in intarsia—meaning the pieces have to be cut more precisely. Anyone who has worked with wood can appreciate the challenge of getting those pieces to fit perfectly. This is the full view of Waller’s Tranquility. Beautiful!
Another major difference between glass mosaic and intarsia is dimension. Glass mosaic is typically 2 dimensional—it’s not unheard of to incorporate a third dimension but it’s difficult to accomplish and rarely seen. Intarsia, on the other hand, is 3 dimensional. Wood is easier to layer and contour than glass. The result is a work of art that comes alive with depth and dimension. Take Waller’s stunning artwork “Journey Forward” for example.
His masterful use of wood tones and grain lines is more visible closeup.
The magic of the third dimension becomes even more apparent when viewed at an angle.
There is another wood working technique often discussed alongside intarsia. In “marquetry”, the artist cuts the pieces of the design from differently-colored thin wood (ie veneer) then arranges and glues the pieces into intricate designs. It is a 2-dimensional form. Marquetry was popular during the Art Nouveau movement and often used in furniture making. The below desk, labelled as a “Coffer-Writing Desk” is displayed at the Museum of Modernism in Barcelona. This jaw-dropping masterpiece is the work of Joan Busquets i Jané.
Several different woodworking techniques were used to create this astounding piece. A couple of details are shown below. The top section shows a beautiful marquetry panel made of several woods. The clever cat, in the bottom section, appears to be a relief carving. In relief carving, chisels are used to carve out wood from a flat surface creating depth and giving the carved objects dimension.
I’ve dabbled in woodworking for some time but I didn’t appreciate the creative possibilities until I tried woodcarving (see my posts Getting Started with Woodcarving and Flat-Plan Carving with Harley). Intarsia, the art of making mosaics from wood, opens up a whole new creative outlet!
More Info
You can learn more about the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art, in Buckhead Georgia, on their website. Note the museum is following strict COVID-19 safety measures and guests are asked to schedule an appointment to visit. I had the pleasure of a private viewing during my recent visit.
Check out Jeffrey Waller’s website or Instagram account for more information about this talented artist. The Augusta Chronicle article, “Wanting to separate his style, Eatonton artist uses centuries-old woodwork technique”, is an interesting read.
Intarsia has been practiced from before the 7th century CE. The 1903 book, Handbooks for the Designer and Craftsman – Intarsia and Marquetry, by Jackson F. Hamilton provides a comprehensive history and overview. The book is available in its entirety on the Internet Archive here. The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
Despite its long history, I wasn’t able to find a great deal of information about intarsia online. I did learn that Judy Gale Roberts, a Tennessee-based artist, is highly regarded as an intarsia expert. She has been creating intarsia art for over 45 years, sells patterns for intarsia projects, has authored 14 books and teaches workshops. Check out her website at Intarsia.com.
I learned about woodcarving at the John C Campbell Folk School. Check out my posts Carving in Brasstown, Getting Started with Woodcarving and Flat-Plan Carving with Harley.
It’s no secret I have a passion for mosaics. Check out the posts Learning from the Ancient Masters and Gaudi’s Trencadis Mosaics to learn more about mosaics. I’ve shared my mosaic projects in the posts Pair of Mosaic Mirrors Completed, My Mandala-Inspired Oval Design and Serving Up My OOAK Mosaic Tray. Plus I shared full step-by-step instructions for making your own mosaic project in the post DIY Turkish Mosaic Candle Holder Tutorial.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Small, lesser-known, local museums may provide safe and interesting excursions.
2. Intarsia is the art of making mosaics from wood.
3. Consider the creative possibilities of combining techniques and materials in innovative ways.
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