The Knitting Cowboy

This should have been cropped and I may get around to doing it and then fix this post, but for now this will have to do. Do you think the horse is winking?
It is time to get back to this project, so here is my new beginning. Dad did sign this one and it is dated 1983.

More Bits and Pieces

Here is a log of Dad's time in making seven marquetry pictures of the Tetons:
2 1/2 hours patching bottom part of pictures
3 1/2 hours sawing bottom part of picture
2 1/2 hours sawing bottom part of pictures
2 hours patching
2 1/2 hours sawing
4 hours July 31
2 hours August 1
3 1/2 hours Aug 3
2 hours

I am asked constantly about the amount of time Dad might have spent doing a picture, so I thought this might be of interest.

Small Mountain Scene with Moon

This small picture, measuring  5 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches, is an example of numerous small pictures that Dad made.  I think probably he was using up wood scraps and also that it was fun for him to play around with something different and relatively simple.

These two pictures of mountain scenes with trees and a stream make a beautiful pair to hang side by side.  Each of these pictures measures 15 x 12 inches and were made in 1968.

Trees by a Mountain Lake with Boat

While one of Dad's least complex pieces, this inlaid picture of a peaceful mountain lake is one of his most popular inlays and portrays an idyllic scene to which everyone can relate and long for.  Measuring 10 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches, the picture is undated though you can see that Dad burned his name on the bottom of the oval.

The Pony Express Rider

The Pony Express Rider was one of Dad's most popular designs.  He usually paired this picture with the companion Cattle Roundup picture below.  The pictures I have were made in 1976 and measure 15 x 19 inches.

Riderless Horse in Mountain Scene

This inlaid picture of a riderless horse in a mountain scene was the second most difficult picture to get a decent shot of.  I'm sure more expert people know how to get a true square in a light box with a large picture, but I haven't figured that one out yet.  The picture measures 18 1/2 by 26 1/2 inches and was completed in October 1990.  Dad gave me this picture for some reason that escapes me now but which I wish I had noted on the back of the picture.  Again, study the wood grains and veneer patterns to appreciate what a tremendous accomplishment the making of a picture and work of art like this is.

This inlaid picture of a tree with bare branches on a snowy day with an ice-clogged stream is another of the most familiar images in our family.  Dad made many duplicates of this picture and it has always remained a family favorite.  The picture measures 12 x 18 inches and is undated, although Dad burned "Garland Wyoming" on the back.

Small Wall Plaques

Dad made many, many of these and similar small wall plaques over the years.  The care and effort that went into these small inlaid pictures was just as skilled as were the large inlaid pictures.  Note especially the beautiful veneers in the bottom plaque just above.

Inlaid Tray with a picture of the Teton Mountains

This picture of the Teton Mountains inlaid into a tray (the handles have been cropped off) was our wedding present from my parents in 1952.  Since I had reached the advanced age of 20 when I got married, that means the tray is now 58 years old.

The Mexican

 

The Mexican picture was usually paired with the picture of an old rancher which, regrettably, I was not able to purloin over the years.  The picture measures 12 1/2 by 17 inches and was completed in 1974.  Dad made a number of pictures of these two memorable characters over the years.  You can see what the picture of the rancher looks like by scrolling down to an earlier post by Steve Blood titled "Old Rancher Revisited" as he was planning to use the picture on some cupboard doors.



The Big Horn Sheep

This inlaid picture of a Big Horn Sheep's head is one of the most familiar pictures that we children remember because it was on our wall at home for so long.  Dad drew the design based on the Big Horn Sheep's head printed on a bag of pinto beans, one of the largest crops in the Powell Valley where we grew up.  I took the above photo of the pinto bean bag at the Homesteader Museum in Powell WY.  The picture measures 13 x 16 inches.  Dad burned "Ralston Wyoming" on the back, so it would have been completed between 1941 and 1944.



Victorian Mansion

This incredible marquetry art was completed by Dad in 1976 during his "Victorian home phase."  Dad liked to pursue different topics, and when he started on one new picture featuring a new subject, he often searched for and completed several others of the same general kind.  How many hours would it take you to cut each individual piece of veneer for each window and structural detail and then piece them all together?  Not to mention sorting through piles of veneer to find just the right shade and pattern of wood.  This picture measures 19 x 22 inches.

Elk in Mountain Scene

This picture is worth studying carefully just to appreciate the incredible choices of veneers and veneer patterns.  The veneer in the frame is incredibly beautiful.  Dad completed this picture, which measures 20 x 26 inches, in 1988.  When we were young and lived near Ralston WY during WWII, we children shared a large room for a time that was originally intended for a garage.  Dad's scroll saw and work bench were on one side and in one corner of the room, and I remember going to sleep at night while Dad was cutting out intricate patterns of pieces of veneer on the scroll saw far into the night.

Winter Farmstead Scene in Moonlight

This scene is much loved by family members, showing a farmstead in winter under a full moon.  The picture is 18 x 18 inches and was completed in 1989.

Bookends with Cabin Scene

Dad liked to play with different woods to present different views of the same scene.  Here are five different bookends portraying the same scene but with different veneers in each bookend.

Lovesick Cowboy with Victrola

This inlaid veneer picture by Russell M. Blood completed in 1976 was designed by Stephen M. Blood from an illustration by Norman Rockwell.  Apologies if it is a copyright violation.  We can delete if necessary.  However, the ingenuity of using many different shades and patterns of veneer to portray Rockwell's lovesick cowboy is certainly worth studying.  Again, the quality of the marquetry is impeccable.

Cowboy with Rifle Mounting Horse

This picture of a cowboy with a rifle mounting a horse is one of Dad's larger masterpieces.  The picture measures 22 x  38 inches and was completed in 1976 in Olympia, WA.

Old Barn

RThis picture of an old barn is 18 x 21 in size.  Dad burned his name and date of completion on all of his completed inlays.  The date on this one in the lower right hand corner is very dim but I believe it is 1969.  It is worth your time to double click and study the different veneers and shades of wood to see how skillfully the picture was designed and finished.



Cabin in Mountan Scene

This inlaid picture is a beautiful piece of work.  The choice of veneers and the patterns they make in the final picture are perfect.  The pieces are tight with little gap.  No date on the picture, but probably in the 1950s or 1960s.  I'm still learning about light.  I've finally figured out tight cropping.  My pictures still have a bit of a cast, but I'll keep working on it.  Not as easy as Ann implied.