My wife Kathy and I started our intarsia pattern business in 1992 with eight little "Cut ‘n Carve". "Basswood Hound" puppy projects. "Cut ‘n Carve" is similar to segmentation, the exception being, there is more free hand shaping and contouring. Put another way, "Cut ‘n Carve" is like power carving with a drill press and sanding drums.

Being made from 1 1/2" thick basswood, the puppies could sit on a shelf or be hung on the wall. Some of the designs lend themselves to being fitted with clock movements, and when put on a base with pen and pencil hardware, made a nice desk set. Best of all, they were fun to make and sold well at craft fairs. My "Cut ‘n Carve" method gives the novice an opportunity to develop basic cutting, fitting and contouring skills, while easily creating a nice looking project.

I’ve always tried to get away from making an intarsia project that looked flat. This lead to the creation of my intarsia-on-intarsia technique where sections of the project are overlaid, creating a three dimensional appearance.

From the beginning we realized it was necessary to include a color photo of the finished project with our patterns. The photo provides our customer with a helpful visual aid. I’ve never indicated levels of difficulty to my projects because once you’ve learned the techniques, they’re all the same. It’s like building a house, the more bricks in it, the longer it takes to complete. But, it’s all done the same way; cutting and fitting one piece at a time, like laying bricks, until they’re all put together, then contouring them. The only thing that changes from one project to another is the shape and number of pieces.

My motto is, "your imagination is your most valuable tool, don’t let it get rusty", that’s the key to being creative. When working with an art form that’s new to you, do your own thing. Just because you don’t have access to certain types of wood, it doesn’t mean you can’t make the project. Some of the photos I’ve received of customers projects were made entirely out of stained or painted pine and their results were excellent.

Striving for a lifelike appearance of a subject, at times I’ll use glass eyes in a project. When I can’t find the right color wood, realistic coloration is achieved with thinned acrylic paint to stain the wood, while letting the grain show through.

From what I’ve read, intarsia has been around for centuries, incorporating all forms of media. So … since it’s art, anyway you create your project is O.K. with me, just have fun doing it.

Sincerely,