T. Breeze Verdant | Marquetry & Inlay

T. Breeze Verdant - Marquetry & Inlay
Inlaid Guitars, Boxes & Jewelry

"Magnolia" Walnut & Ebony. 11"w x 16"l x 16"h. Woods used: Narra, Pear. Sycamore, Maple, Rosewood, Tulipwood, Poplar, Koa, Bubinga.
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Celebrating Boxes - T. Breeze VerDant

Nature is my inspiration. I find it fascinating that, amidst the rampant apparent chaos abounding in the natural world, balance and beauty prevail. I have rarely, if never, seen an ugly tree or flower. Particularly interesting are trees that survive under adverse conditions. Like tenacious people they are equally complex and gnarly behind their bark (if you can allow a pun like that!). The inside reflects the outer world, again balance and symmetry. The piece of amboyna burl (from Borneo) on the trunkfish box reminded me instantly of the reefs I’ve snorkeled around after one of my favorite fish.

I’m drawn to boxes because they are small, personal, conceal mysteries, and are about as much as I can handle with my penchant for details. I’d go crazy on a large piece! Plus, I like to create the greatest amount of beauty from the least amount of wood, display beauty without consuming it. Marquetry allows my to work with the finest woods without consuming them, since most veneers that I currently buy are approx. 1/40th of an inch thick. Since they are sliced, not sawn, there is no waste and you get 40 slices from a 1" thick piece of wood. Little material travels through my studio doors. This allows the box that I work in to be small!.

"Trunk Fish " Walnut & Ebony. 11"w x 12"l x 6"h.
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I am fond of saying that I have a Masters Degree from the University of Hard Knocks and am pursuing a Doctorate. This is because I am basically self-taught and learn through experience (elsewhere called mistakes). The fact of the matter is that mistakes have been by best teacher. Mistakes force me to go where I fear to explore. By the time I might make a serious error on some box I’m creating I have too much invested to simply toss anything to an eager garbageman. I have to make something work, and in that process I discover new techniques and more important, new visions and ideas.

One time I was creating a batch of production boxes in their final stages when, I sanded right through some of the veneers on top. Without even stopping the machine I was working on, I spun around and took the afflicted box to a grinder and chewed out this shaped which removed the problem and left me with a great new look. Without hesitation I ground up all of the rest in like fashion and had a very successful group of boxes. That’s just one example.

I like to work in cycles, or seasons (to get into the nature thing again!). Do one style and scale of work, then another, and maybe, a couple more. Then come back to the first and find that I’m ready to evolve it again, or find that ideas have already evolved and are promptly ready to pop out at this time. It’s always fun reaching for a new vision, achieving something close to it, and coming up with a new idea to bring to fruition.

Any exotic wood used is from scrap or veneer.

T. Breeze Verdant
74 Cotton Mill Hill #A333
Brattleboro, Vermont 05301
(802) 258-9820 - tbreeze@sover.net