T. A. G. Smith

Edition Four Feature
Words by: Tom Smith 
Location: Gotham, Nottinghamshire, UK 
Photo Credits: ©Tom Smith, @t.a.g_smith 

My name is T. A. G. Smith – although most people know me as Tom – and I’m a self-taught artist from Nottinghamshire, UK. I make wall-hanging wooden sculptures of birds and feathers using an ancient technique known as intarsia. Birds have been a real passion of mine for years, and I try to mimic their incredible natural beauty using the most natural of materials. Wood lends itself very nicely to recreating birds and feathers, thanks to its huge variety of grain patterns and textures. This allows me to combine my two loves – birds and wood. 

Similar to marquetry, intarsia uses pieces of various coloured woods to create an image. But intarsia uses much thicker pieces of wood, meaning that they can be carved to appear more three-dimensional than they really are. By raising and lowering certain areas, more depth can be added to the sculpture. I use the natural colours of different timbers from the UK and the rest of the world – from sycamore and oak to wenge and padauk. In some cases, the woods are stained if there isn’t a wood of the colour that I need, but this is a last resort and generally only happens if I need blues and greys. 

Using a scroll saw, I cut the pieces of wood individually by hand. I then shape them using a combination of chisels and power carvers. Hand sanding comes next – lots and lots of sanding! At this stage, I use a pyrography tool and a small blowtorch to burn in extra details. The pieces are sealed using white polish, which both enhances the natural characteristics of the various timbers and protects the wood. After leaving the polish to dry fully, I fit the pieces of wood together like a jigsaw and glue them edge to edge. The whole sculpture is then glued onto a concealed backing made from birch plywood. This holds everything together and allows the sculpture to be hung. 

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