Creating Marquetry Sculpture

“In creating marquetry sculpture, I call upon my lifelong love of assemblage and classical drawing. My materials are exotic natural and dyed veneers that I fragment, assemble, and reassemble, and ultimately laminate over complex sculptural forms of my own devising. I consider the resulting imagery as personal narratives expressed in my own language and mode of communication.

Except for its logistical complexities, my use of this classical technique has little in common with traditional marquetry. As far as I know, marquetry has never before been used in contemporary sculpture. Though the process demands precision and focus, and is fraught with difficulty and frustration, the results are worth all the effort. To my eye, marquetry is unrivaled for sheer beauty, expressiveness, and visual drama.”

William Tunberg

 

"Five Thoughts" - Marquetry Wall Sculpture - William Tunberg

William Tunberg’s academic background is similar to Silas Kopf’s in that he first studied Architecture and was drawn into woodworking by way of Sculpture. He received his B.F.A., cum laude, in Architecture in 1964, followed by an M.F.A. in Sculpture in 1965, both from the University of Southern California. http://williamtunberg.com/index.htm

"Five Thoughts" - Detail

Phoenix Marquetry Sculpture - William Tunberg - 26 x 16 x 5 in

William Tunberg loved to draw from an early age

“When I was 7 or 8 years old, I became fascinated with copying postage stamps. At about 11 or 12, I started copying art work that I found in magazines. My favorite artists at that time were de Chirico, Picasso, and Magritte. Influenced by these masters, I started painting original landscapes of the surrounding areas in Oregon where I lived. However, once I saw my first Ingres, my love for drawing the human form became an irrepressible force in my life.

William Tunberg Drawing