Emma Wood - standard bearer for modern marquetry and paragon of nominative determinism, is a contemporary British designer and marquetarian who bases herself between Wales’ Black Mountains and Mexico City. A self-taught artist, she began her career creating punchy pop art designs whilst working in Madame Jojo’s - the world’s premiere drag cabaret club, Mexico City’s eclectic nightlife scene and then the music industry in London.
With decorative antique dealers as parents, her childhood was spent immersed in the world of fine furniture, French polishing and Briwax. This early exposure to the more traditional side of furniture making combined with the flamboyance of the high camp Rock n Roll world she later inhabited has come to define the w o o d p o p style. Juxtaposing the classical art-form of marquetry to depict contemporary subject matter in non-traditional contexts is the studio’s speciality. Bringing marquetry into the 21st Century!
Wood draws on a diverse range of interests for her inspiration: from her love of Mexico and music, her fascination with geometry, pop artists like Peter Blake and Roy Lichtenstein and the surreal art of Storm Thorgesen. Her use of a seemingly incongruous and classical medium to explore modern themes and pop culture reflects the exponentially rapid evolution of the futuristic yet still conservative society in which we now live.