John's marquetry skills were a great pleasure to him as well as to those who received any of his efforts. Marquetry is the art of inlaying wood to form a picture. The wood John used most often was 64th of an inch thick and came in literally dozens of kinds. He liked the natural woods best, however, if colored or dyed wood was used it was dyed all through the wood so it could be sanded and finished without changing color. These pictures came in pre-cut kits that were very similar to putting together a jigsaw puzzle and then they were mounted on a board (actually much more complicated and skill oriented than just described.) John was content with these kits for a while, but he liked choosing the type of wood and cutting it out himself. He would choose the grain of the wood and see that as the piece was cut it came into place artistically. The pieces always fit better when he cut them. The sanding and finish coats always enhanced the finished pictures. The following pictures don't really do the hobby justice.

First Place at Utah State Fair

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Car