AMS Member Profile ~ Dave Peck ~

I was taking Industrial Arts education at Oregon State University in 1961 when I first learned about marquetry and made my first picture.
After graduating, I entered the US Air Force and spent 20 years, mostly in personnel and administrative positions, finally retiring as a Major.
I had been making a few pictures and in 1983 decided to see if I could make some supplemental income selling them. I sold my first picture within a week after placing it at a local gallery and between 1983 and 2007 I sold through galleries and at craft fairs. I've never progressed to making a living at marquetry.
I think the fact that I do a lot of volunteer work influenced that and having a retirement income makes it possible. I enjoyed entering competitive shows and have been fortunate enough to receive an award now and then.

 For example I received 1st place in the Embellished Woodturnings category, at the California State Fair in 2004.
Woodturning is another of my "weaknesses" and I'm involved with a local woodturning group.
Our marquetry shows in the AMS are geared more toward educating the public, and ourselves, about marquetry rather than being competitive like the British marquetry show. However, should any of our members want to enter marquetry in competitive shows, there are plenty of opportunities available. For example, The Del Mar Fair Woodworking show accepts national and international entries and they have a reputation as one of the best competitive woodworking shows going at this time.

(For more details do a search for “design in wood, Del Mar fair.”)
They have a both an art and furniture categories for veneering/marquetry.
I am currently the AMS Membership Officer but as a past editor for the newsletter I want to emphasize the importance of exchanging information about marquetry because marquetry is done in many ways and within each particular method there are a multitude of possible variations.
I wish more people would share their approach to marquetry. I find the fun comes from finding out how someone else does something and suddenly thinking, “I can do that!”