I would like your opinions

[lobudugas]

Hello Everyone

I joined this forum this past week-end and really enjoy the amount of information and good advice that I found throughout the site. Keep it up!

I live in Montreal and I have been building Intarsia pieces for 12 years. Dont get me wrong, I love to build Intarsia (just browse my album) but I recently began to get weary with the patterns that were available commercially. I decided to build my own but wanted to go into something different. My son gave me the idea and I built the following piece from various illustrations that I found on the web.

Take a look and let me know what you think. Be perfectly honest. This was an experiment and I really want to know if something like this could interest other scrollers. By the way, it was a really difficult pattern.

Thanks

Alain

[3_M]

That is just amazing. Thanks for sharing.
FD Mike

[Bayward]

Your workmanship and intarsia skills appear to me to be superb. The work jumps off the background with excellent 3D effect. I really like it.

The subject matter would most likely appeal more to a younger person than myself.

Bob

[Wood Dog]

Well you certainly are an accomplished Intarsia artist......your gallery is spot on and you are up there with the best. The subject matter you posted here does not appeal to me personally, but the quality of the piece is outstanding. Have you taken classes or are you self taught? Congratulations on such fine work. Sweeeeet to the max and beyond.

[Max]

That's a fantastic piece! The most original work I've seen in a while.

[kamara]

Wow

All I can say is wow!!! You are truly gifted!! How long did that piece take you to make; honestly?

[woodsman]

WOW, that is ultra cool. Could just possibly be the best intarsia pattern I have ever seen.

[Spirithorse]

I agree with Bayward Bob that the workmanship is excellent but, the subject
matter is probably a little limited.
Maybe one of the administrators here will contact you for a magazine submission.
God Bless! Spirithorse

[Fran1942]

While I don't care for the subject matter, the workmanship, choice of woods is very good.
Fran

[stephenD]

I have to agree with most of the comments here. You are definitely an artist but the subject is .... odd.

[lobudugas]

Thank you everyone for your comments. I agree that the subject matter is not for everyone. As I said, this was my son's idea and he is very much into computer games and such.

However, this type of piece would fit into the "fantasy" realm for which there is not many pattern available. I just think that it would be fun to have the choice if it is an area of interest.

For those who ask how long it took to make the piece, I would estimate 60 hours. The demon itself is made of spanish cedar and the wings are a mix of poplar and butternut. There are a mix of other woods used for the eyes, horns, and claws. I used a walnut plywood as a backer and the frame is padauk with Pau Amarello trims (see attached picture). My daughter provided the (real) chain for the pendant.

All in all, it was a fun piece to make but I struggled with all the muscles. This is another area where there are few patterns depicting human anatomy.

Thanks for all your comments.

Alain

[jim_mex]

Hi Alain - I personally love the subject matter! Whilst I agree with others that it probably has a somewhat limited commercial appeal there are many of the younger generation around who are heavily into this type of design on items like tattoos and similar so I think that it could find a place in niche markets.

Your work is excellent and shows real craftsmanshift in the selection of materials and colours and in your cutting and shaping which I really enjoy and find superb. Well done!

One technical point which I'm curious about is with regard to the frame which you cut almost has a fretwork style with minimal shaping - for example those small dragons in the corners and the outside profile of the frame itself seem to have hard edges and I wonder if this was a deliberate decision to contrast a hard edge style with the soft edges of your intarsia piece or a ploy to save shaping. My own person preference I think - but not really sure - would be maybe to make those dragons more like a bas-relief style and to soften the edges of the frame in order to carry the intaria style through the whole of the project. Like I say, this is personal preference and I'm just curious of your reasoning behind this detail.

I also agree that you should submit this piece to the folks at Fox Chapel for consideration of publishing it simply because it is a really nice piece and definitely a little different and I think merits a wider audience

Thanks for posting your work

[paul44224]

Wow! Beautiful work of art, Alain! I really like the Sci-fi/Fantasy type of art, and yours is GREAT!

Paul

[oily]

WOW WOW WOW!!!! Everything about it is top notch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crupiea]

awesome work. scary looking.