Curriculum.html

The site of Cristina Alvarez Magliano
Fine Art in Marquetry

Maria Cristina Alvarez Magliano was born in Chacabuco, province of Buenos Aires,
Argentina, in 1943. She got her first diploma in arts in 1958. However, she kept her
artistic activities as a hobby along her university studies at the University of Buenos
Aires Law School and her long and successful professional career in the field of labor
and federal law of her country. In 2003 she retired from her post as Secretaria Judicial
de la Corte Suprema de Argentina, with status equivalent to federal circuit court judge,
to dedicate her efforts to the activity she loves most, which is artistic works in wood.

Artist Statement
Since I was a girl I had a strong and deep necessity to put everything I knew and felt into images and
objects. My hands made it very easy for me; perhaps the genes of my father were the culprit for
having me drawing and painting at all times, besides having wonderful 'cuadernos de clase' (school
handbooks)with a lot of images -needed or not-. By the time I was a teen I was a rebel in any sense
of the word -imagine a young Taurus woman in the late 50's hoping to be an independent artist and a
lawyer-.
However that wasn't easy at all, I had -and still have- a strong compromise with beauty and harmony,
with creativity and seriousness of mind. I strongly believe that art can change the way we see
ourselves, making us more tolerant to other's points of view, ideas and feelings; in sum, more open to
diversity. It is, at least, my commitment. I think we must try to surround our everyday life with art. Not
only in pictures, but in every simple object we use from our kitchen to our car. That is one of the
reasons for having chosen wood as a medium to express myself. It is a solid, perdurable and yet
flexible and beautiful material that will be with us for as long as we want.

ART EXHIBITIONS

2012- Open Studio at the "Hammond bay Rd. Art Tour", month of September.
2011- Sooke Art Show, collective exhibition.
2011- Art Show 2011 Sydney by the Sea.
2010- Sooke Art Show, collective exhibition.
2010- Art Show 2010 Sydney by the Sea. Winner of the Colin Graham Award for
innovative work.
2010- -“Latin Views 2010”, Group exhibition sponsored by the Latin Network for the Arts
and the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery, UCONN , Connecticut, USA. Month of October.
2009- “The magic realism of love”, solo show at the Nanaimo Arts Council Gallery.
2009- American Marquetry Society, Nor-Cal Chapter group, San Jose, California, USA.
2008- Nanaimo Art Gallery DT, “Equalization of the blues” and Xmas Show.
2008- ‘The Food I love’ 2008, collective exhibition at Allmarquetry studio-salon.
2008- -“Latin Views 2008”, Group exhibition sponsored by the Latin Network for the
Arts, Mystic, Connecticut, USA. October 2008
2008- Shows at Allmarquetry Studio-Salon, Nanaimo, with the participation of musicians
and visual artists.
2008- Group Exhibition at the Arts Council of Lady Smith and District.
2008- Group exhibition at the Port Theatre, on the occasion to the Show of the Nanaimo
Conservatory of Music for its 30th anniversary.
2007- “Art/Fest” Nanaimo, BC, Sponsored by the N.Art Gallery.
2007-“Spring” Group exhibition at the Nanaimo Art Gallery, April 2007.
2007-“Stories of Love and Passion”, solo exhibition at the Circle Craft Gallery, Granville
Island, Vancouver BC March 2007.
2006-“Latin Views”, Group exhibition sponsored by the Latin Network for the Arts,
Mystic, Connecticut, USA. October 2006.
2006-Nanaimo Art/Fest sponsored by Nanaimo Art Gallery, August 2006.
2006-“Annual Chapter Show” Federation of Canadian Artist, Nanaimo, month of May.
2006-“Flowers for Spring” Group exhibition, Nanaimo Art Gallery, April 2006.
2006-“A taste of Nanaimo” Group Show with the Vancouver Island Symphony, Port
Theatre, Nanaimo, February 2006.
2005-“Open Studio Show”, Nanaimo, BC, November 2005
2005-“American Marquetarian Annual Show”, Vancouver, WA, USA, September 2005
2005-“Nanaimo Art/Fest” sponsored by N.A.G., August 13/14th. 2005 Nanaimo, BC,
2005- “Featured artist of the month” Nanaimo Art Gallery downtown, April 2005,
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
2004- “American Marquetarian Annual Show,” Minneapolis, Minnesota. Group
Exhibition.
2004-“Women in the Opera,” Association of Magistrates, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Solo
Exhibition. September/October 2004.
2004-“Painting in the South of France,” Live Worms Art Gallery, San Francisco,
California. Group Exhibition. April/May 2004.
2003- “Art in the Judiciary III / El arte en la Justicia III,” Association of Magistrates,
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Group Exhibition. December 2003.
2003- “Untitled,” Ahzara Art Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Group Exhibition.
May/June 2003
2002-“Orchids and Other Works,” Mosto Rojas Art Gallery, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Solo Online Exhibition. December 2002.
2002- “Orchids and Other Works,” Aldo de Sousa Art Gallery. Solo Exhibition. October
2002.
2002- “San Francisco Artists,” Abbey of Caunes, Minervois, France. Group Exhibition.
June 2002.
2002- “Art in the Judiciary II / El arte en la Justicia II,” Association of Magistrates,
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Group Exhibition. November 2002.
2001-“Art in the Judiciary I / El arte en la Justicia I,” Association of Magistrates, Buenos
Aires, Argentina. Group Exhibition. November 2001.
2001 - “2001 Marquetry Show,” Pearl River Public Library, Pearl River, New York.
Group Exhibition. September 2001.

Some words about the technique

The photo on the left shows the things that are in my
studio. Wood veneer, leather, stones, metals, mother of
pearl,abalone, wires (silver and copper) and any other
object or material available, plus tools like knives,
hammers, rulers, sanders,brushes, etc. The only limit I
accept is my own inability or physical impotence in the
use of them (i.e. heavy, big or unusually hard to handle
items)

As I try to explain constantly, my work starts in my head, not in my hands. Since I am kind of
compulsive-obsessive, attentive to detail in extremis, I bore easily if I don't have a serious
challenge over my working table. I bore also if I have to do or look to a repetitive thing.
Sometimes, wood veneer in itself can produce such a monotonous and stiff image that it
could be appropriate to refer to it as 'an unwrinkled expanse of sameness' (as a friend of
mine used to say). And nothing like that could be farthest from what I think is my way of
expression. So, why I chose wood veneer and marquetry? Because it allows me to do
different, very unusual images. I don't imitate painting; I don't want my pictures be confused
with paintings although I love and admire them. I use a diversity of techniques for the cutting
process, all tending to assure me that I can change whatever parts of the image I don't like,
and that I'm not making a puzzle. Sometimes people have said to me: you must like puzzles!
No, I don't. I think there is a misconception when puzzles and marquetry are compared.
Puzzles are cut after/over the image, not necessarily following it, to create a challenge and
entertain people putting back all the pieces together. In marquetry, the image is created by a
cutting process that follows rigorously the forms until the whole is achieved. I use the 'double
bevel' or 'double diagonal' or 'conique' cut with a scroll saw, and sometimes the 'knife' or
'scalpel' cutting. Depending on the kind of image I'm working on, I also use the
'superposition', 'de Vriz' or 'fusion' method to get transparencies and special diffused effects.
For that reason, even if I want to, I cannot do more than one piece at a time. Other methods,
as the sandwich, piece by piece, even the famous Boulle, and now the laser cut, have been
created to enable the craftsman to work less and produce an infinite quantity of the same
image. For a description of the available and popular cutting methods with photos and
examples of the finished pieces, visit the interesting site of Bernard Rottenfus, at La
Marqueterie Traditionelle.

So, I start with the design on a paper the same size of the piece. Then I decide if some
elements can be grouped in a sub-system that later would be integrated into more complex
ones. In every cut, I advance adding new parts of the image to the already assembled. In this
way (its progression is equal to traditional painting) I can change the forms and colors as I
progress in the picture. Here there is an example, a big picture composed of 4 panels.

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