Perhaps it’s just me, but I’ve found that very few people know what marquetry is. Marquetry isn’t as prevalent an art form in North America, as say carving. Everybody knows what carving is, but most are unfamiliar with marquetry.
I am preparing for my class with Patrick Edwards in October. Although not a requirement, I am reading the works of Pierre Ramond: Marquetry, and the Masterpieces of Marquetry series. Dr. Ramond is considered to be the living authority on marquetry, and these are two of the most trusted resources on the subject. Unfortunately, one is out of print, and the latter isn’t…
How do I put this?
…economically priced.
Suffice it to say, it’s unlikely you’ll find them on the shelves at your local bookstore.
But if you do, please let me know where your bookstore is located. I’d like to visit it!
While it is possible for a beginner to learn the subject from these books, I’d recommend a few other resources:
• Paul Schürch has an excellent two DVD set with pamphlets that walk you through your first project, while
• Silas Kopf offers a DVD which demonstrates the various marquetry techniques. It’s a great accompaniment to his book which provides a historical basis for the craft.
Of course if you’d prefer, Silas, Paul, and Patrick all offer classes!
If you are fluent in French, the “Chefs-d’oeuvre des marqueteurs” series is much more economically priced than its English translation!
Thanks for the reference!
However, there are two problems with this:
1. A quick check on Amazon shows each volume going for somewhere north of $100 a piece. The English set of three is $265, and
2. I don’t speak or read French, although I manage to stumble through the electronic translations to determine the intent!
I do need a crash course in “woodworking” French. There are a number of excellent books which are unavailable in English.
Thanks for the references.
I found volume II of “Masterpieces of Marquetry” for $265 on amazon.com. Nobody is selling all 3 volumes as a set, and especially not at the price you mentioned. If you can get the entire set for $260, I suggest you jump on it! Note: the French version is priced at roughly 100 euros for volume II, which adds up to about $160 with shipping. HTH!
Scratch that, I found the set you were referring to. Yeah, it’s a bit expensive… Oh well!
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