Juxtaposition

An Art in the AM reading prompted by the Ian Friedland piece pictured at the bottom.

The artfulness of a marquetry master flows through every decision he makes. He considers and selects specific veneers based on their species, their color, their grain, the way each can be cut. From thin sheets of wood and the use of sharp implements, the artist is able to piece together the picture he has imagined. Depth and pattern are created in juxtaposition, each piece placed and honed to fit exactly so. I imagine he sometimes takes a step back to deal with ragged cuts or placement mistakes or low supplies. Or to consider evolving ideas about what the piece might be, what picture or pattern might ultimately be made manifest. The marquetry is mesmerizing; the piece is alive, human-made, art.

Perhaps I am so taken with this piece because it reminds me of how to make my own art.

I, too, have many elements of choice: genre, framework, shell, tone. From a nearly limitless supply of words and using an array of writing techniques, I piece together sentences and paragraphs and essays. I search for words with the right color and texture, shape sentences to capture my meaning, my sentiment, or my story. And Lord knows, I often rethink, restart, revise – evolving far from original plan to write the piece that seems to want to be written.

But the most interesting similarity between the marquetry artist and my work is the study in contrasts – how often our best work is revealed in juxtaposition. For me: An unexpected word choice. A change of tone. Modulating rhythm. Alternating voices. Evocative metaphor.  Dark and light. Parallel and perpendicular. Mundane and peculiar. Sharp edges and shadows.

Contrasts prompt my readers to engage, think, look again, to find the pattern, the deeper meaning, that is being revealed in my marquetry.