The Bespoken Word

musings of an artisan

Filed under: antlers

Oyster Veneer - bringing the 17th century into the 21st

Oyster Veneering was a technique used to embelish exquisite furnishings in the 17th Century. The name was given due to the resemblance of cross cut wafers to a whole oyster shell. It is a labor intensive procedure even with our modern methods but the finished product is well worth the time and effort.

In this video, you will see the process I use in the fabrication of the oyster pieces being joined together to create the veneer. The wafers start off at 3/16" thick and sanded to 1/16" once the wafer oysters are all joined together.

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N.B. No live oysters we eaten or harmed in anyway during the making of this film.

"Game On" the Piece and the Process

You may have seen my latest creation which I named "Game On". My sweet and most devoted fan, Susie, has made a series of videos that might be of interest. What a fantastic job she has done putting this together. I am always amazed at the things she figures out how to do and in such a short amount of time.

There are numerous clips so we won't put them all up at one time but here a couple to start things off.

If you have't seen the album of photos, you can check that out on the Facebook Page.

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dan rieple

I fell in love with woodworking when I was fourteen, but my dad, a bricklayer, had already stirred my interest with the woodwork he made for my older sister. The Industrial Arts program in my high school and subsequent Industrial Arts Degree equipped me for the last 30 years in the profession.

I like seeing the pleased expression when someone feels the soft curves and surfaces on a piece that I’ve made. Besides being visually pleasing and perhaps even provocative, art furniture should stir a person to a point where the desire to touch is irresistible.

When designing a piece of art furniture, I find that the things that influence me most, are various shapes, life experiences and other cultures I have been in. Those that have most inspired me have been masters like Mondrian, and Mackintosh, the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau. In the past few years I have enjoyed the more rugged and organic designs of the west where severity in climate influences the shape and color of the materials I used.

Awards
2009 Best of Show, Exhibitor’s Choice, People’s Choice
Cody High Style, Buffalo Bill Museum
Articles
Cowboys & Indians, The Denver Post, The Cowboy Way, Woodshop News, Western Art & Architecture, The Gazette and The Tribune, Colorado Springs

Exhibitions:
Gallery Two-Ten, Colorado Springs
Design Center, Denver, Colorado
Museums
The Pioneer Museum, Colorado Springs

Projects:
The Natural Dream Home

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dan rieple