Segmentation versus Intarsia

[Back2Jake]

I am in the process of prepaing a paper for a workshop on the art of intarsia. This naturally brought me to the topic of segmentation versus intarsia and I would like to get some other scroller's opinions on what defines both segmentation and intarsia.

Some will say segmentation is when you cut from the same board, and layer the pieces to add depth to the artwork. Others add texture and contours but because it is all from the same board it is considered segmentation. For some artisans, it is only intarsia when you are using different types of wood.

When does segmentation cross the line (excuse the pun, ) to becoming intarsia?

Toni
Canadian Woodcrafters

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Judy Gayle Roberts in a couple of her books makes what she terms intarsia completely out of red cedar. If you were to bend my arm behind my back, I think that I would say the intarsia is a specialised subset of segmentation. Segmentation being any picture made up of different cut segments. Intarsia, inlays, mosaics, and marquetry all being made up of segements, therefore, subsets of segmentation.

Just my thoughts on the subject, for what they are worth.

[Back2Jake]

Thanks for the reply ... I was loosing faith!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I am in the process of prepaing a paper for a workshop on the art of intarsia. This naturally brought me to the topic of segmentation versus intarsia and I would like to get some other scroller's opinions on what defines both segmentation and intarsia.

Some will say segmentation is when you cut from the same board, and layer the pieces to add depth to the artwork. Others add texture and contours but because it is all from the same board it is considered segmentation. For some artisans, it is only intarsia when you are using different types of wood.

When does segmentation cross the line (excuse the pun, ) to becoming intarsia?

Toni
Canadian Woodcrafters

Sounds like "lamentations" LOL

[3_M]

Hi Toni,

There is a book about segmentation, check this site:
http://www.google.com/froogle?hl=en&...q=segmentation. You could check at Barnes and Nobles and just look true it.
At this site you will find a lot about intarsia:

http://images.google.com/images?q=intarsia&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search

Mike M

[Back2Jake]

Thanks Mike!

That is a book I don't have... and I am always ... ALWAYS shopping for new books. LOL.

[suzie71400]

I am in the process of prepaing a paper for a workshop on the art of intarsia. This naturally brought me to the topic of segmentation versus intarsia and I would like to get some other scroller's opinions on what defines both segmentation and intarsia.

Some will say segmentation is when you cut from the same board, and layer the pieces to add depth to the artwork. Others add texture and contours but because it is all from the same board it is considered segmentation. For some artisans, it is only intarsia when you are using different types of wood.

When does segmentation cross the line (excuse the pun, ) to becoming intarsia?

Toni
Canadian Woodcrafters

I always thought that intarsia was made out of different woods and different thicknesses and then shaped and contoured where segmentation is cut, and 3-D in the same wood, just stained or painted different.

[arbarnhart]

single board versus traditional?

I bought a couple of patterns that came with instructions that described the two techniques as single board intarsia and traditional intarsia. Webster says "a mosaic usually of wood fitted into a support" is intarsia. Kerry Shirts says his method is not intarsia (he segment cuts a single hardwood board, stains, uses relief but doesn't contour) but is segmentation, yet his falls within the dictionary definition. For that matter, it says "usually of wood", so it is even more wide open. The issue you will no doubt run into is that the purists who put more time, effort and expense into their craft hate to have it confused with craft that is simpler and cheaper to make, especially when it comes to pricing their work. They lay claim to the term intarsia. Others will say I am wrong to say cutting from a single board is easier because getting the stain just right is not as easy as it sounds (I have done it and there is some truth to that argument). It is muddy enough that I don't think there is an absolute, technically correct answer. You just have to decide which set of zealots you want to make mad.

[Back2Jake]

Thanks Arbarnhart... it's difficult to be politically correct ALL the time.

[Back2Jake]

I always thought that intarsia was made out of different woods and different thicknesses and then shaped and contoured where segmentation is cut, and 3-D in the same wood, just stained or painted different.

Seems simple enough, doesn't it? LOL.

[imascrollman]

Segmentation VS Intarsia,

I think in some ways its ok to call it Intarsia if using from the same board. In some instances I have used the same board, but I have changed grain direction. For instance in my Eagle Head I use alot of Pine from the same board, but each piece the grain direction changes slightly to agument the look of feathers. The same goes for the Unicorn Alot of pine from the same board, but I changed the grain direction on each piece. I think Segmentation would be if you cut from the same board without changing grain direction or wood speicies.

Randy

[Sawdustmedic]

intarsia

Okay, here's my take on it. Say you are doing a teddy bear. You can trace the entire pattern on the board and cut it out, then put the pieces back together like a puzzle would go together. With this, your woodgrain would run the same direction over the entire teddy bear. That is segmentation. Intarsia, you actually cut each piece of the pattern out separately ans have to trace, saw, and sand the pieces to get them to fit together tight. With this method, teddy's arms may have the woodgrain running horizontal, but his paws may have the woodgrain running vertical, or however you choose to do it. The pieces are cut one at a time, and eaching following piece is made off of the previous. You can use the same board, but have woodgrain running in various directions when you put teddy all together. Am I making sense? -Medic

[ubgoofy2003]

Originally posted by Suzie ! I agree with your description. But, There must be a hundred more out there though !! Thanks Perk

[popsshop]

My 2 cents worth - I have done both styles.

In a segmentation project, the wood grain will be a constant direction. I stain the different pieces to make the "picture".

In an intarsia project, the wood grain will be used to emphasize and enhance the individual pieces of the project. giving it "life" if you will.

Both styles involve depths of wood, contouring, etc to enhance the end resulting "picture".

That's my opinion
What's yours?

[Neal Moore]

I think Ed pretty well nailed it. I did several one hour seminars at the Fox Chapel open house on Segmentation. As I tried to explain then, the word segmentation as we as scrollers use it, simply defines a process used to create a "picture" from wood. Intarsia defines a different process to do the same thing with remarkably different results. The operative word being process. As far as I could research at the time, Judy Gayle Roberts revived the term Intarsia and applied it to describe the work she and her father had been doing for several years. Segmentation had also been around for a long time in the scrolling world but the current method, which incorporates relief similar to intarsia, was not popular until Kerry Shirts sort of invented it by accident and published his book. When I wrote my book and the first magazine articles, the editors suggested we needed a name for the process to differentiate it from Intarsia and other forms of Segmentation. We even came up with the word "Scrollsaics" which joined scrolling and mosiacs as a description for the first couple magazine articles. I still use it on my business cards just because it sounds better than Segmentation. WOW...I just noticed when this thread was started!!!