Olly Fathers on Wood Veneer Art, Marquetry and Building a Career as an Artist

Robin Johnson sits down with woodwork artist Olly Fathers to explore how traditional marquetry, wood veneer and painstaking hand cutting become contemporary geometric art. Olly shares his path from studying fine art and working as an art technician to developing a full time studio practice with his wife, Emma. He explains how years spent installing major artworks, experimenting with woodworking and making art alongside freelance jobs shaped the artist he is today.

The conversation goes deep into Olly's creative process, including his use of bog oak dating to around 2500 BC, traditional marquetry techniques, geometric patterns, optical illusion, natural wood grain and heat shading. He reveals the extraordinary planning behind A Drop in Time, including 452 individually cut sections and an approach that turned the remaining veneer into additional artworks with almost zero waste.

Olly also opens up about pricing art, imposter syndrome, the risks of becoming fashionable too quickly and why he prefers a slow, steady creative career. He and Robin discuss the realities behind the art world, selling directly to collectors, working with galleries and interior designers, balancing creativity with business and why continually pushing into creative discomfort keeps the work developing.

Key Topics Covered

✦ How Olly Fathers developed his distinctive wood veneer and marquetry practice

✦ Moving from fine art and art installation into a full time creative career

✦ Creating geometric art through grain, colour, movement and optical illusion

✦ Making A Drop in Time from 4500 year old bog oak and 452 hand cut sections

✦ Turning veneer offcuts into new artworks and reducing material waste

✦ Pricing artwork, imposter syndrome and the business realities facing artists

✦ Why creative discomfort, experimentation and patience drive better work

✦ Selling art through collectors, consultants, galleries, interior designers and social media