David J. Marks is a woodworker based in

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...

. Marks studied art at

Cabrillo College Cabrillo College is a public community college in Aptos, California. It is named after the conquistador Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo and opened in 1959. Cabrillo College has an enrollment of about 9,700 students per term. Facilities Classes are of ...

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

. In 1981, he opened a studio in Santa Rosa. During the 1980s, his focus was on creating one-of-a-kind furniture. Beginning in the 1990s, he shifted toward woodturning and sculpture. He hosted the

DIY Network Magnolia Network is an American basic cable network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery in partnership with Chip and Joanna Gaines, the founders of lifestyle company Magnolia. It broadcasts personality-based lifestyle programs related to topics ...

's show ''Wood Works'', which showcased a combination of techniques using both hand and power tools to design and build pieces that highlight the color and grain of exotic woods. He also incorporated metal and metal patination into his projects. Marks utilized a process called bent wood lamination, where multiple thin wooden slats are glued together and bent into a form to cure. Although he is a master

woodturner Woodturning is the craft of using a wood lathe with hand-held tools to cut a shape that is symmetrical around the axis of rotation. Like the potter's wheel, the wood lathe is a mechanism that can generate a variety of forms. The operator is kno ...

, he primarily focused on furniture making in the show. Marks describes his style as expressing "a sense of time and mystery," drawing inspiration from a fusion of styles including ancient Egyptian, African,

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

, and Asian. He emphasizes the importance of attention to fine details in all his designs. He often emphasized that attention to detail distinguishes fine furniture from mediocre pieces, such as matching wood grain at joints to create the appearance of a single, solid block. The show ran for seven seasons and is no longer in production. As of 2007, Marks has been teaching private classes on various woodworking topics at his studio and during tours.

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 {{US-tv-bio-stub