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Phrenology Veneer
These pieces are made by a process called marquetry which is basically wood inlay. Firstly the design is created by using reference material. The book I chose was Phrenology: The Science and Art of Teaching by Lloyd G. Spencer MSD because of its higher degree of detail than most other phrenology textbooks. From here the crappy line drawings were converted to something a little more pleasing to the eye. After the organs have been plotted, the face itself was designed in a way to mimic the overall pattern of the head while still being individual enough to ensure visual separation. Next comes wood choice. Phrenology groups “organs” into seven larger divisions of the head . These clusters are represented by various wood and grain types. The social propensities for instance (occipital) are all “burled” woods, meaning they lack symmetrical striation. Wood was first chosen from this criteria, secondly the organs are represented by pleasing color combinations within the first requirement. No stain is ever used on these veneers, the color you see is native to the wood. The choices for the face were strictly determined by color and minimal grain depth. This resulted in the use of maple, oak, mahogany, pecan, and trees for shade variance and vibrancy. Each wood has a different type of reaction to light, it is important to bear that in mind when placing pieces next to each other and use this to a benefit of the overall piece.
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