David J. Marks is a
woodworker
Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.
History
Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials ...
living in
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa ( Spanish for " Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and ...
.
Marks studied art at
Cabrillo College
Cabrillo College is a public community college in Aptos, California. It is named after the conquistador Juan RodrÃguez Cabrillo and opened in 1959. Cabrillo College has an enrollment of about 12,000 students per term.
Facilities
Classes are of ...
in
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...
. In 1981, he opened a studio in Santa Rosa with his cat Liz and his young daughter. Through the 1980s, his focus was on one-of-a-kind furniture. Beginning in the 90s, he has moved toward wood turning and sculpture.
He was the host of
DIY Network
Magnolia Network is an American basic cable network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Chip and Joanna Gaines. It broadcasts personality-based lifestyle programs related to topics such as home construction, renovation, and cuisine.
The channe ...
's show ''Wood Works'', a show highlighting a combination of techniques using both hand and power tools to design and build pieces which feature the use of exotic woods in ways that feature their color and grain. He also incorporates metal and metal patination in the projects. Marks also used a process called bent wood lamination a process in which very many pieces of thin wooden slats are glued together and forced into a bending form to cure. He also is a master woodturner but is drawn to furniture making and the turning side of him rarely comes out in his shows. Regardless his unique style makes for an interesting show. About his style Marks says:
:"My work expresses a sense of time and mystery. My inspiration is derived from a fusion of styles including ancient Egyptian, African, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Asian. But essential to all my designs is the attention I pay to fine details."
Many times on the air he said that what sets fine furniture above mediocre furniture is attention to detail, such as watching the grain when joining two pieces to make it seem as if carved from a solid block of wood.
The show ran for seven seasons and is no longer in production. As of 2007, Marks teaches private classes on various topics in his studio and while on tour.
Awards
*NICHE Awards Winner - Mixed and Miscellaneous Media ~ Philadelphia, PA 2001
*NICHE Awards Winner - Garden Art/Sculpture ~ Philadelphia, PA 2001
*Modern Masters, Home & Garden Television Network 2000
*Collaborators, with Ron Kent, an exhibit of one-of-a-kind pieces, del Mano Gallery ~ Los Angeles CA 2000
*California Discovery Awards, Gold Award ~ Napa CA 1994
*"Best in Show," Artistry in Wood ~ Sonoma County Woodworkers Association 1987, 1988, 1991
*"Best Craftsmanship," Artistry in Wood ~ Sonoma County Woodworkers Association 1987
*"Jurors Award of Excellence," Artistry in Wood ~ Sonoma County Woodworkers Association 1985
*"Guild Member Award" (Best Small Piece) ~ Sonoma County Woodworkers Association, Santa Rosa CA 1983
*"Jurors Award of Excellence" ~ Mendocino Woodworkers Association, Mendocino CA 1983
References
External links
Official site
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American woodworkers
Cabrillo College alumni
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