Marquetry Superyacht Installation Depicts Iconic Architecture

Howard Sansome announces the completion of ARYMA's latest superyacht installation 

ARYMA's Superyacht Installation
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I spoke with Howard Sansome, ARYMA's owner, just after he returned from Amsterdam, where the yacht is currently docked while the interiors are being completed by Struik and Hamerslag - the Dutch firm that specializes in creating custom luxury yacht interiors. 

"We recently completed a project for a client's superyacht. I've just been supervising the final installation of several large marquetry panels." Explained Howard, "A high level of detail was the brief from the client. There are architectural, iconic buildings that everyone will recognize and just say - what, are you kidding me - that's made of wood?"

Closeup of the Taj Mahal
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"Our work is about visual impact and adding visual impact to interiors"

Detail of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul
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Aaron Radelow - Modern Marquetry Master

Aaron demonstrates traditional marquetry cutting with the 'Chevalet'

Aaron K. Radelow has dedicated himself to becoming one of the most dynamic and versatile custom furniture makers in America today. For the past fifteen years, Aaron has been hand producing original designs and masterful re-creations in his native San Diego, California. The outsourcing of process steps, such as metalwork is limited to ensure that the style and method of design and construction is held to the very highest standards of quality - an aspect of his ethic that establishes him not only as a master craftsman, but also as an artist.

(Excerpted from the Aaron Radelow Custom Wood Design website - kd)

"If the day ever comes when my work may be categorized, that will be the day I start in search of something more challenging, for my ultimate goal is to be constantly evolving as an artist and by so doing bringing life to unique and emotive creations."

Aaron's Louis XIV Reading and Writing Tables surround the original in the Getty Museum
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 "To end up with a finished, polished piece of furniture, is, ah, how can I put it?" Radelow says, "Intense."

 

  Blue and White Reading and Writing Table  

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Here's a bit of information regarding Aaron Radelow:

Ligné Agency is honored to announce the addition of Aaron Radelow, a craftsman who specializes in wood work and inlay that has not been seen since the days of Boulle and Pierre Gole.  His work is nothing less than museum quality, handcrafted in the finest materials.  His work spans from antique restoration to full commissioned cabinets and writing desks.  Most notable are his Louis XIV writing tables that were created based on an original currently located in the Getty Museum.
Posted by Meredith Xavier, principal at Ligne Agency, on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.

Cube marquetry from Aaron's Contemporary Collection
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Status Of Cunard's Queen Elizabeth Marquetry Panel

The Cunard Queen Elizabeth foyer panel, designed by David Linley's design studio and produced by ACE Marquetry is now well under way.  

The Queen Elizabeth Marquetry Panel
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Claire Englefield, the person behind ACE Marquetry, told me that it was the largest single piece of marquetry that she and her team have ever produced. The size was such that they had to rearrange the workshop to erect a temporary table large enough to assemble it in one piece.

"The marquetry is now completed. We made the panel in one large piece. We cut it up yesterday (it's in roughly nine panels in the photo) and it's now being sent to another Linley associated studio. There it will be pressed onto a lightweight MDF, bonded with an ultralight metal Hexalite substrate, then sanded and polished. They will then take the panels over to Italy for fitting onto the ship before it's maiden voyage in October."

Assembling Marquetry On A Grand Scale
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Claire's business has grown steadily since 1986, when she started hand cutting marquetry for her husband Alan's furniture business [See Alan's remarkable boxes at LINLEY and on his web site at Alan Englefield Architectural Boxes].   She now runs two lasers with a team of four employees producing work for many furniture makers around Britain, with the occasional International piece. 

Alan Englefield - Architectural Boxes

Although most of her time is taken up by the managerial side of designing and fabricating marquetry commissions, she did get involved in the cutting and assembly of this prestigious piece herself.

Claire is very proud of her long standing association with David Linley and Co. and now produces almost all of the marquetry used on their excellent range of products, from a simple marquetry picture frame to the magnificent Cunard panel.  It shows her versatility, when the next piece to go through the workshop, after the 5.6m tall panel, was a small marquetry crest, no bigger than 60mm in diameter, with hundreds of pieces, some no bigger than a pin head.

Marquetry 'Shift' Table To Be Featured In Vogue and Wallpaper

Patternity Shift Table // A Collaboration With Toby Winteringham // As Featured In VOGUE September 2010

'The Shift Table'

Updates regarding Toby Winteringham's studio and 'Patternity':

• Patternity's 'Shift' and 'Phase' have received some good interest and appeared on several blogs [including MiArtStudio - kd] 

• Shift is currently being photographed for Wallpaper* magazine

• The Phase sideboard and Bureau were featured in the Saturday Telegraph and Sunday Times Home section in June 

• "We are delighted the the articles were both celebrating hand made crafts."

• Lark Books' new publication 500 Cabinets features two Winteringham pieces: 'Phase' and the 'Limed Oak Bowline' sideboard

• The Norfolk Furniture Makers have a third showcase exhibition this year:

         October 21st - 27 Aldeburgh Gallery, Aldeburgh, Suffolk

Jeff Nelson's "Ocean Paradise" Marquetry

Jeffrey Alan Nelson

Jeff Nelson Composing

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Composing With Nature's Palette

Jeff's love for drawing and painting brought him to the San Francisco Art Institute in the mid 1970's, where he discovered his passion for the inlay arts. Jeff has been perfecting his signature style of marquetry artwork and furniture design since he began working with the art form in 1978. He has followed his passion for illustrating natural, architectural and imaginary forms ever since.

"Learning to ‘see’ in the palette of natural materials — hardwoods, shells and minerals is a discipline that takes time and patience to master" states Jeff, "It's a ‘whole being’ kind of involvement."

Ocean Paradise Artwork 

One of the most striking elements in Jeff Nelson's Ocean Paradise marquetry art panel is the rippling water that is rendered in an Aqua-dyed, figured Harewood.

[A very fine filled polyester finish makes the marquetry art glow. - kd]

"Honu" has been one of Jeff's favorite motif's since he composed his "Kauai Kingdom" piece after a trip to Kauai.

"Honu" - Sea Turtle

[This 70" X 48" piece is mounted on an ultra-light honeycomb aluminum substrate, weighing only 45 pounds.

These substrates are ultra-light yet very sturdy. They are being used by leading artists such as Yannick Chastang and studios like ARYMA. I will do a post on this emerging trend in the next few days. - kd]


















Design and Fabrication

Parrot Fish with Paua Abalone

Jeff introduced the prototype for his "Ocean Paradise" design at the Hospitality and Design Expo in Las Vegas last May. He will start producing them on a make-to-order basis this summer and, as is common practice among leading marquetry artists, will be able to design custom variations on this and other themes.

                                                                                                       

"Ocean Paradise"
( 6' X 4' Marquetry Art Panel ) 

"Ocean Paradise" is the latest in a series of undersea artworks by this nature loving artist. You can follow this link to see two of his earlier pieces: the "Ocean Paradise" triptyche and "Kauai Kingdom".

ARYMA's Marquetry Domed Ceiling

ARYMA

Building something new and exciting with Anita Lear's marquetry legacy

I am looking at a memento  signed "Best wishes - Anita Marquetry - Anita Lear", from Live Oak Park in Berkeley, where I first met Anita Lear on June 12th, 2005. She had just transferred ownership of her marquetry studio, Anita Marquetry, to Howard Sansome, a young businessman with a love for art history. A long ways from home and the studio that she had founded back in Wales, she was gaining perspective on that episode and looking forward to seeing Howard build something new and exciting with her legacy. This is how Aryma came to be.




ARYMA's marquetry domed ceiling depicts indigenous birds and flora of the American Southwest

Excerpt from panel with Cardinal

My interview with Howard Sansome

Yesterday morning I spoke with Howard about this story and a couple of recently completed projects, including this domed entry with local birds, butterflies and flora for a client's Arizona residence. The other project, a large four panel marquetry art installation for a super yacht, has just reached the completion stage. Howard will be flying over to the shipyard next week to inspect the finished installation. He expects to have his client's permission to share his high resolution images of these remarkable works of art with MiArtStudio.com when he returns.

Excerpt from panel with Oreole
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I am looking forward to sharing the images for both of these remarkable projects with you. I will install a high resolution viewer at the MiArtStudio.com gallery and link to it from a post on this blog.

We also discussed what's coming up next for Aryma, one of just a few world-class art marquetry studios in the UK.


Follow this link to view more images of ARYMA's domed ceiling project: 

Marquetry Artwork Being Prepared For The Queen Elizabeth

The LINLEY artisans are working to complete David Linley's Art Deco marquetry art work so that the panels can be shipped to the Fincatieri shipyards in Monfalcone, Italy, where it is to be installed this summer as the centerpiece of the new Queen Elizabeth's grand lobby.

LINLEY's marquetry art work

of the original Queen Elizabeth

is 2.5 decks high

Click image to enlarge

To see the artist's rendition of the Grand Lobby and a video interview with Cunard's Alistair Greener follow this 'Read more' link: