Spotlight: Sakura in Marquetry

This is another post on exhibitors in the Free Verse marquetry show at the Messler Gallery at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. This time, I’m highlighting two artists who depicted cherry flowers in their own unique styles. The cherry blossom, or sakura, is a beloved motif in Japanese art, but artists across the world have drawn inspiration from the beautiful, ephemeral displays that cherry trees put on every spring.

Patrice Lejeune is an artist based in Los Angeles, where he runs a studio devoted to furniture making and conservation. While Patrice was trained in traditional French marquetry techniques, he is eager to try new methods and materials. For his piece Sakura Cabinet, he managed to capture the aesthetic of a sumi-e painting without using any paint: the cherry blossoms on his tree are made from scrapings and shavings from a previous project.

Photo thanks to Michael Boyle

Patrice’s cabinet is also modular, so that it can be shipped flat, and the panels can be swapped out. You could theoretically make the cherry tree change with the seasons and re-bloom every spring.

Massachusetts-based woodworker Paula Garbarino also chose the sakura as the subject of her piece, which is entitled Weeping Cherry Wall Cabinet. In order to make her blossoms, Paula combined thin commercial veneer with thicker shop-sawn veneer, so that the flowers are on slightly different planes. She then carved down the edges of the thicker petals to create a subtle bas-relief effect. Paula’s piece hints at the fleeting nature of cherry blossoms, with a single pink petal drifting down near the bottom of the door.