My name is Jane Burke.  I was born and spent most of my growing years in South Africa.  After studying clothing design at college I joined my parents in Paraguay, which is where I was introduced to Marquetry.  I came to the US in 1996 and presently live just outside Atlanta, Georgia with my husband, Robert and our ginger cat, Neo.

I have a special passion for Marquetry and anything to do with wood. There are so many wonderful species of wood in many colors and grain patterns which makes Marquetry so satisfying, as I get to see and use several of these different colors and textures in a single piece of marquetry.

I started doing Marquetry in 1993 while living in Paraguay.  I was shown how to cut veneer with a scroll saw but soon found that it was easier and more accurate using a craft knife.  Over the following few years I worked on my technique until I developed a style that suited me better.  This is the technique I now teach and use to make my marquetry pictures.

Marquetry is my way of appreciating the beauty of wood and expressing my creativity.  I lean more toward nature scenes as I love the great outdoors and all the little critters and creatures found in it.  I am also a keen gardener and therefore enjoy making pictures of flowers.

I also teach marquetry at woodworking shows, woodworking stores and give seminars and talks on the art at woodworking clubs and guilds.  I enjoy doing marquetry so much that I love getting others interested in taking up this wonderful art form.

To see more about the life of Jane, visit my Splash page at www.gtcreations.com/splash .

The picture in the middle is of a walnut keepsake shadow box I made and the bottom picture shows two ottomans I made for my husband and myself.