Archive for July, 2009
Piecing Together a Great Summer Day
For many American children, summer means a vacation from school. It means plenty of free time to ride bikes, swim in a nearby lake or stream, and reconnect with seasonal friends who visit on holiday. It’s not unusual for parents to struggle to keep track of their small kids – the outdoors beckons, and their energetic feet answer the call.
But not every summer day is suitable for outdoor play. A lightning storm can put a cramp in a kid’s style, but it’s only temporary; sometimes being confined to the house reminds them of other pastimes. For example, wood jigsaw puzzles offer hours of fun for a pair of friends or the whole family to enjoy together. The pieces are solid and substantial enough that they won’t be bent like cheap cardboard puzzles. Once in a while, a day indoors is just as rewarding as an outdoor adventure.
What is Intarsia?
If you’re at all familiar with the art of wood crafting, it’s very likely that you’ve come across the term intarsia before. But even though the term is used frequently in different artistic settings, the details of it are still somewhat unclear. To that end, intarsia can be understood as a specific form of wood inlaying, but the term can be more generalized to include the inlaying of stone as well.
The end result of intarsia wood art is a look that is almost three-dimensional in nature. The craft most often uses various shapes and sizes fitted together to create a product that is reminiscent of a mosaic. While the practice began as early as the 13th century in Siena, Italy, the process is still used to this day.