Art Spotlight: Dave Danchuk's Puzzles of Precision
Unique. Creative. Colorful. Three of many words that came to mind when I was first introduced to the brilliant artwork of Canadian artist, Dave Danchuk. As an accomplished artisan in many mediums, Dave has found a way to combine his fine portraiture vision and his love of woodworking. He uses a scroll saw to cut hundreds of separate and individual pieces, paints them with a bold palette, and pieces them back together to create large, mind-blowing designs.
Each project can take 4-6 months to complete, due to the tedious nature of the process and the size (normally 2 feet x 2 feet or 4 feet x 2 feet). Dave pencil draws each design out on wood and then begins cutting the pieces with his scrollsaw. The pieces are progressively laid out so that they can be painted. Once they are dry, he begins piecing them back together before gluing them all into place. Dave has a rule that no two pieces that touch each other can ever be the same color, which makes the reassembly process quite tricky at times.
Recently, I was lucky enough to talk to Dave about his artwork and have included the interview below. I hope you enjoy learning about his imaginative style and browsing the progression photos of a Bob Marley portrait by Dave. The Marley design is just one of many stunning accomplishments, so be sure to check out more photos of finished projects and progression pix at his website, www.amazedcreations.com.
Read the complete interview with Dave below:
Your work is so unique, Dave. How did you ever get the idea to make your scrollsaw creations?
Thanks. My mother is a poet, and she was doing a group art show a few years ago, and there were some "paintings" that really caught my eye from a distance. I went to take a closer l and soon realized that these large creations were all made from cut up pieces of wood/plywood. I was totally amazed that this was possible and spent quite awhile with the artist, asking questions. I immediately went home and did my reasearch on the word "scrollsaw." I really should try to track the artist down and thank him for changing my life. His work is much different than mine, but I think there's only a handful of people that do what we do.
What are your essential tools of the trade?
After all my research, I ended up with a Dewalt scrollsaw (which was the machine of choice for many of the scrollers in the online groups), a bit of sandpaper, sheets of 1/4" MDF (multi-density fibreboard), and some acrylic paints are my backup weapons. We work well together.
Have you always been interested in woodworking? When did you first pick up a saw? Who taught you to use it?
I've always been creative. I played bass in a band in the mid 90's, which was a very cool and creative process; but after I left the music industry (playing/writing was fun; the business side, not so much) I needed a new creative release. I made some carvings and tried a few other creative things, but once I got my scrollsaw, I knew I'd found my thing. That was around 2004, I believe. I still love the entire process. The first time I tried the saw, my results were FAR from what I wanted them to be, but with practice and determination, I think I've become pretty good with it. The only help I received was from a few online scrollsaw groups, and some scrollsaw magazines (which I've now been featured in...great feeling!)
How long have you been making the scrollsaw puzzle piece portraits?
Right from the beginning, I knew I wanted to do large pieces. It's quite a challenge though. The scrollsaw is a bit limited, in that, from the blade to the back of the saw is 20 inches. The size I like to cut my designs from starts with a 4ft x 2ft piece of MDF, so I can't cut it straight across., It becomes a sort of combination of chess, limbo and twister, trying to figure out how to cut the large piece into hundreds of small pieces. I'm getting smarter in designing them though.
How long does each piece take from start to finish?
Before I had children, it took about a month or two to complete a 4ft x 2ft project. Now, it's usually triple that, as spending time with my kids eats up a lot of my time. Once they are in bed though, Daddy can get some cutting done. Painting all the pieces is a time consuming process, as I take out all the pieces I want to be a certain color, paint them, wait for them to dry, then reassemble them back in place. I have a rule that no two pieces that touch each other are ever the same color. This was another challenge when I started, as I was only using about 7 or 8 colors. Now that I use up to 14 or 15, it's a bit easier, but it still takes some planning to work it all out.
I love that the colors you use are so bold and bright, what got you started using these brilliant palettes?
I visited Cuba in the late 90's and fell in love with many things, including their use of color everywhere. I find it amusing that I get so many compliments on my color choices, as I use paints from a children's school supply store. Don't tell anyone, it might catch on: big bottles of acrylic paints for cheap. I'm still using some of the original bottles I purchased years ago.
Are your kids good in your wood shop too? Do they ever help you out or want to make their own pieces?
My daughter, Maya, has been a big influence on quite a few of my projects. The Bob Marley piece (probably one of my more popular pieces) was made for her after her favorite Marley CD was stolen from the car. She's inspired quite a few other pieces as well. If you ever need inspiration for an art piece, ask a 3 year old to tell you a story. Last weekend, Maya drew a doll on a piece of paper for me. I took it outside and cut the design out of wood, sanded it up, and she painted it. I've done that quite a few times. I have a pig she drew: I cut, and she painted. It is sitting in front of me right now. For one of my son's birthdays, I made name plaques for all the kids at the party, then all the kids painted them. It was very cool to watch the way each child tackled it. A very cool day; plus they all got to take them home.
I love your name and date plaques too. Can you tell us about those? What is the cost? How large are they?
The name plaques started as another creative way to make something special for my friends that had just given birth. I cut the baby's name and birthdate out of one piece of wood (normally about the size of a piece of paper). Once the grandmothers and other friends saw them, they started ordering them for all their grandchildren and other friends. I also usually post what I've been up to on my myspace (and now facebook) account, which usually leads to another order or two. Most of my kids' friends are now getting name puzzles for their birthdays, with each letter cut into two or 3 puzzle pieces, depending on their age. The name plaques (with birthdate) are $2.50/letter, and name puzzles are $10/letter, depending on size and font required. I generally don't paint these, as everyone normally has their own color themes in their homes. I've also found a few other people who regularly purchase individual letters, then paint them themselves to match custom bedroom sets they make (Rock-a-Baby Designs). If you want wooden letters or words/phrases cut out of wood, just pick a font and contact me.
Not only are you a woodsmith, your acrylic paintings are beautiful as well. Do you enjoy painting like you do woodworking? Do you feel your paintings help your wood work; and vice-versa?
The cool thing about cutting all the pieces up is that you just slop some paint on each one, and you're done. Pretty easy process. You don't have to worry about painting a line too thick, or screwing it up. With my scrollsaw being outside in the carport, and the Canadian weather being a tad on the cold side during certain months, I thought I'd attempt to stay warm and do some actual painting. I've had some successful sessions, but there are quite a few canvases in various parts of my house that are "half finished", so to speak.
Is most of your work on a commission basis?
I've done a few commission pieces, which is always a good challenge; but the majority of my work I created for myself. The fact that others enjoy it is a great bonus. Commissions start at $1500 for a 2ft x 2ft piece, depending on the amount of detail. Not cheap, but it's a time consuming process.
Where can people see your work? How does someone go about ordering?
Although I sell quite a few prints and posters of my work, most of my pieces still live at home with me. The house definitely looks colorless when I take some of them out to art shows. People can contact me on my website, my myspace or facebook pages, or by email to dave@amazedcreations.com
My artwork can be found at the following locations:
Shirts and other merchandise:
PROGRESSION PHOTOS OF DAVE'S BOB MARLEY PORTRAIT
Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 10:46AM
Reader Comments (1)
very creative.
thank you for the article.