Bob Marley is recognized by people of many races, ages, and nationalities. Partly for this reason, his image has always been one of my favorite test faces for woodworking as well as mirror etching. In this piece, a close-up shot of Bob's face was pasted onto a slab of 1" thick white oak to begin. The grain pattern for this piece therefore is clearly visible throughout, greatly adding to its effect. The semi-circular interior was removed and then planed down to approximately 1/2" thickness. Once the face was finished (see Faq page for how) it was then replaced into into the outer ring to create the frame. All of the major pieces in the face have been sanded along one edge to make a more smooth transition between layers and make the image more life-like. Finally, the entire shell was filled in with 2-part epoxy resin, similar to that found on a bar-top table. Bob's forehead is barely visible above the surface, creating the appearance of him leaning from the shadows into the room.
Carl Sagan was a major influence on my life. He embodied human curiosity and encouraged me to think beyond what is commonly accepted, both in my science career and now in art. When I thought of images I should do before something happens to my burst of artistic creativity, Dr. Sagan came to mind, but the image always seemed too complex for me to tackle. I attempted it when I ran across the perfect piece of wood (oversized white hardwood pre-planed to 1/2" with nice grain). In addition, I prefer to use 'natural' wood stains (whatever that means in this day and age!) as opposed to dyes or food colorings. As you'll note however, in this piece, I tested some alcohol based inks marketed for glass coloration to a nice effect on the green. The wood grain is clearly visible throughout with the possible exception of the ebony-stained jacket. The piece was exhibited at the juried exhited "Celestial: Almost Heavenly" (Oct. 28th, 2009 - Jan. 4th, 2010) in the Jackson Kelly Gallery at Arts Mon in Morgantown, WV where it currently remains on display (Feb. 26th 2010 writing).
West Virginia native Don Knotts was one of the first human portraits I attempted. I reasoned that I could get away with a few flaws in my scrollsaw work given his wrinkled brow and facial features as well as his publicly humorous disposition. And given his undeniable recognizability here in Morgantown, I hoped to use his wood portrait as a barometer as to whether the technique could be even be used on human faces as I have not seen them anywhere else as of yet. As it happens, my small shop sits on a busy city corner, but gets little in the way of foot traffic. When I finished this piece, I set it out on the ledge of my sign (see my contact page for photo) and then sat on a chair to watch the cars whiz by. After two+ years of observing driver behavior in front of my shop, I can easily tell what catches the attention by watching their eyes, and I knew I was onto something when a high percentage of folks turned to glance in recognition of the wood portrait. I like the idea in a way that the image is most obvious from a distance and when moving as it becomes more lifelike and plan to use this idea to my advantage future works.
Jimi Hendrix
This portrait was on my drawing board for some time before I actually attempted it. The detail in the guitar was rather daunting in particular. However, the way he was standing with the microphone and the amount of detail in the face, hands, jacket, microphone and guitar convinced me this image was screaming to be rendered in 3D using the segmented relief technique. I think you'll agree when you take a closer look and I wish you could see it in my shop now in the proper lighting. The wood actually came from an old oak dresser that had been painted. I debated about refinishing the dresser but decided that this made better use of the wood! The grain is placed sideways to contribute to the smoky-looking background. The level of detail is very high in this work--the individual frets of the guitar have all been cut out for example and each finger on the neck is rendered in several shades and depths. It has been backed with 1/4" ply wood for stability and hanging and can be framed upon request.
 When I think in terms of 'honoring' a person with my technique, and what sort of famous person deserves such an honor (forgive my hubris), Nelson Mandela certainly comes to mind. This oversized portrait uses 3/4" rubbertree wood for enhanced depth. Because of copyright sensitivities as well as sheer technological limitations, you will almost certainly never see these works mass produced. They are offered here as limited, individual works of art.
In addition to human faces and animals, I am curious to see how other images will appear when rendered in 3D. When someone mentioned the 'nude form' exhibit at the MAC in Morgantown, I created this piece for submission. It won "People's Choice" award.
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