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Meet the Artist: Jane Spangenberg
 Perhaps
to understand where Jane Spangenberg is coming from, you have to see where she’s
been: Born in South Africa, her family moved to England when Jane was nine. While
living in Europe, Jane and her family traveled to Holland, France, Italy, Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, and Scotland; moving back to South Africa when Jane was 11. Several
years after graduating from high school, Jane followed her parents and brother
from South Africa to Paraguay, where her father had started a sawmill and furniture
factory. She lived in Paraguay for eight years before coming to the United States
-- settling first in Massachusetts, then moving to Miami, and finally to Atlanta,
her current home. Perhaps
her colorful background explains her attraction to marquetry, the art of combining
different veneer pieces to form pictures or patterns. It’s the blending of
the exotic with the ordinary, creating art, and having the chance to try something
new time and time again. Learning…
Masur
Butterfly
"This shows the finished sheet of
marquetry before it was applied to the music box I made for it. The main veneer
used for the background of the butterfly is Masur Birch. The butterfly itself
is made with Sapele, the sapwood of Cherry and Ebony." 2001
| There
is probably a genetic predisposition to woodworking in Jane. Her introduction
to woodworking happened during her earliest years in South Africa, where her grandfather
had a large woodworking shop in which he made his own furniture. Jane remembers
“making a rudimentary TV cabinet at the age of eight, with lots of help from
Granddad.” That experience, she says, started a love of wood and woodworking,
but one that didn’t really get going until she moved to Paraguay.
Secret
Garden
"This is a band saw box made out of
a solid piece of Mahogany. It has two small boxes inside, which are lined with
Poplar. The marquetry is done with Lacewood, Poplar, Madrone Burl and Masur Birch.
The finish is lacquer."
Size: 6 x 6 x 2.75". 2001
| Since
her father owned a sawmill and furniture manufacturing business there, Jane was
exposed anew to woodworking. She was the personnel manager of the carpentry section
for nine months before moving to the capital city, Asuncion. It was there, too,
that she was exposed to marquetry through her boyfriend, whose family owned a
fine furniture shop. She made several marquetry sheets and realized she also needed
to learn to make something to put them on. Since she was apprenticing part time
at her father's factory, she "slowly but surely" picked up tips from
the craftsmen who worked there. According to Jane, "the hands-on experience
I got there was a wonderful way to get involved in such a diverse craft."
Ravin Box Step 1
"This shows the first step in transferring the image to the veneer. I score
along the pattern lines with an X-Acto knife. After all the lines are scored I
then remove what is left of the pattern and start cutting the pieces out." | 
Ravin Box Step 2
"After each pattern piece is cut out of the veneer, I cut the contrasting
piece of veneer that will go in that space and glue it in place. This shows the
first ribbon of the double ribbon Celtic Knot in my Ravin box." | 
Ravin Box
"This is the finished
Ravin Box after the veneer was applied to the box. The hinges and feet were silver
plated and it has a velveteen lining on the inside. It is finished with Danish
oil and wax."
Size: 8 x 10 x 3" 2000 | Continue
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