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JANUARY 8 AT NOON

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One of seven courses available for the May 7 – 10, 2026
MCA Weekend Workshop @ Haystack
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Marquetry Masks: A Mixed Media Workshop Exploring the Craft of Marquetry on a Curved Form.

Instructor: Jim Macdonald
Haystack Studio: Visiting Artist
Enrollment Limit: 8
Materials Fees: $55
Level: All Levels Welcome

Class Description:

Explore mask-making with marquetry! The basics of the marquetry process will be taught during our Thursday session, and then we will create individual, expressive masks by applying hand-cut wood veneers to a curved form. The notion of a mask is personal and potent, and participants will be encouraged to explore many possible avenues, including but not limited to a mask for theatre/performance, as a fashion accessory, for celebration, for disguise/masquerade, as a protest/social critique, and/or as a tool for character improvisation. Participants will learn an accessible process of hand-cutting wood veneers in a sequence, applying the cut, assembled pieces to a curved surface, and options for embellishing with pyrography, painted paper, and mixed media.

Materials + Fees: $55

The instructor will provide all essential materials for each student that will be covered by the $55 studio materials fee. Students are asked to bring the following items:

  • Steel ruler
  • Favorite drawing tools
  • Sketchbook
  • Utility knife
  • Scissors
  • Any favorite woodworking tools that you already own and would like to work with
  • An apron or clothes you don’t mind getting messy

Optional item to bring:

  • Deep throat fret saw – Recommended choices: Woodcraft Item #141407, Eclipse or 70-FS1R, Olson SF 63507
  • Paring knife – Old Hickory paring knife or similar

About the Instructor-

Jim Macdonald creates custom guitars, furniture, art, and portraits featuring marquetry and inlay in Burnham, ME. In addition to his own projects, Jim collaborates with luthiers and furniture makers as a marquetry specialist. His work has been commissioned by Gibson Guitar’s Custom Shop and Hinckley Yachts. In 2018, his Allman Brothers tribute guitar entered the collection of their Big House Museum in Macon, GA. In 2024, his Capricorn Studios tribute guitar entered the collection of the Capricorn Studios and Museum, also in Macon.

Along with his artist/ illustrator, creative collaborator wife, Lucky Platt, they at times join forces artistically as Bunkhouse Studios. Macdonald lives and works on the shores of Lake Winnecook in Burnham, Maine.