How time flies when you're having fun. Back in March of 1993 I finished my first framed Intarsia design. This piece is titled "Maybe a Snack" and consists of 135 pieces from 15 naturally colored woods in a 16" x 22" walnut frame. I used woods I had never heard of before and was awe struck by the natural beauty of these new woods, and to be able to use them in my new found art. Woods like purple heart and pink Ivory and ebony were added to my palette for use in my pieces . I began to research everything I could looking for new colors and grains to bring my pieces to life. The pictures of Maybe a Snack are what it looked when fresh cut 30 years ago and today. The colors may change but mother natures beauty stays the same.

Beautiful work Mike!  Do you keep a log of each project that details the woods/finishes (if any) used, number of pieces, time it took; that sort of thing?

Thanks Cal- I like to keep track of my projects for many reasons . I count pieces in each project  to help keep track of how much time is spent on a project . Because I usually have several projects going at the same time  I count the pieces and figure an average of 15 minutes per piece. ( drawing, tracing, cutting, sanding, detailing and fitting). So a project with 100 pieces would require1500 minutes divided by 60 or 25 hours. This way I can keep track of the time I have in each project. Not perfect but a good average . When a new wood is added to a project I just write it down on the project list. For the most part I use  spray on or wipe on satin poly for all of my finishing.

Beautiful piece that has aged well with natural patina. Love the back story about the piece as well. Very happy we have you posting and sharing here again. Thanks!