Considered Design
Laura: “When Silvia started doing her marquetry I was mind-blown. It’s evolved over time and continues to evolve in all of these different collections. She travels and takes inspiration and really blossoms an entire collection from it. She represents a group of designers to me that truly are artists and inspiring other designers along the way.”
Working the Wood
Silvia: “These are wood veneers around 2 millimeters of thickness. We cut those veneers in the shape of the design and assemble them together in many colors and shades. And when we want to give volume to the design, we burn the wood in the oven for just a little bit of time, so we have many shades of the same color wood. In the final polishing we use many types of sandpaper so it all will be leveled.”
A Focus On Craftsmanship
Silvia: “One thing that I realized with my work is that all of the techniques are incorporated into my business nowadays. I take it a step further in terms of craftsmanship, we’re always trying to deepen the technique. Marquetry is a simple technique that is actually not so simple. To train a person in the art of marquetry takes about two or three years working every day. Each person is training for a certain skill. For instance, one is very good at cutting, the other assembles the design, another polishes with sandpaper. It’s a process that involves 25 people.”
The Art of Getting It Right
Silvia: “This place in Amazonia is very far away from San Paolo. I have to go there personally, I go there every three or four months. I have to choose the right woods to make the interpretation of these designs. I have to be there and be involved in the process. The horse motif in particular was very hard to get to our level. The body required shading that only a master artisan could do. He is really very good at interpreting a figure, so I was very happy with the result.”
Respect For the Process
Silvia: “It’s not an easy process so that’s why we don’t have very much production. I always show the artisans where their work is, where we sell and who buys the pieces because it’s important. They didn’t have this awareness that this process is a work of art and now they are aware that what they do is very, very special. And this makes me very, very happy. It will be a pleasure for me to be in L.A. to be there to explain the process, it’s very important.”
