Nonahood News: What kind of art do you create?

Arthur Weiss: Everything is made of wood. Each piece is cut out, cleaned, painted and then put back together. I build my own frames so it all color coordinates and complements the artwork itself.

NHN: When did you start creating art?

AW: Maybe 20 years ago. I started making little things, knickknacky kind of stuff. One day I was working on one of them and I thought, “I wonder what would happen if, like with a flower, if I cut each petal out and then put it back together,” and then I just went on from there and started creating bigger and more elaborate wall hangings.

NHN: Have you always been creative?

AW: For the most part, yes. As a child, I enjoyed music, and if I saw a painting that inspired me it was just like, “Oh, God, I wish I could do that.” There was always some sort of creativity inside of me. And my sister was an artist. I liked what she did, and I followed in her footsteps till I branched out on my own and found my own style.

NHN: When did you realize that creating art was something you wanted to pursue?

AW: Probably in high school. After I graduated, I went to school for art. The school I went to was strictly a commercial art school for either illustration or advertising design. After that, I was in an agency for a while. Then, I started the woodworking. It was my sister who told me to start woodworking because I was showing her this stuff and she goes, “Arthur, you can sell this stuff.” I did craft shows for a while and then the bottom kind of fell out of craft shows.

NHN: How long did it take you to discover your ideal medium?

AW: I don’t know. My father had a woodshop and, as a kid, I was always intrigued by that. His scroll saw was always the thing I was drawn to. When I started, I didn’t have my own saw, so I was always running over to his house and using his saw to cut out the little things that I was doing. At one point, my father saw in the newspaper that a guy wanted to sell his. So, my father bought one for me. And then I continued working with that.

NHN: Recent artistic accomplishments?

AW: There hasn’t been anything recent. We moved from Pennsylvania down to Florida a little over three years ago. I’m saying “we” because my wife and I moved, but … my wife just passed away this past March. There hasn’t been anything recent because since we moved down here, I have unsuccessfully been trying to get into some of the local markets and craft shows. So, I’m thrilled to be featured in the Nonahood News now. I’m hoping this is going to be the opening step for me.

NHN: Most rewarding project?

AW: I did a thing with the macaw, and when I finished it, I was just like, “Ohh, I really like this one,” because he was really kind of impressive. There were other pieces, too, where I thought, “Wow. I actually did this.”

NHN: Most challenging project? 

AW: There were several. I push myself into things. For example, I did a thing with a hyacinth that was really challenging. Just the flower part alone had 115 little pieces that all needed to go back together exactly the way they were cut out. I did another one with a hummingbird that almost ended up in our fireplace because I got the pieces messed up and I didn’t know how they fit back together. I just put it aside for a long time and I thought, “Oh, let me try again, and I got the pieces back together.”

NHN: How long does it take you to create a piece?

AW: It depends on how much time I have and how big the piece is. If I can work constantly at it, it takes me about a week.

NHN: Who or what inspires your art?

AW: The only thing I can say is it comes out of my soul, or I might see something that inspires me. A lot of the pieces that I’ve done are flowers because, for most of my life, I was a floral designer. 

NHN: Besides creating art, what are your passions?

AW: I like swimming. My wife also taught me how to knit. I’ve made a lot of Afghans, so knitting has also become a passion.

NHN: Do you have any new projects in the works?

AW: I’ve gotten some pieces of slab wood I’ve started working on. I was working on a wisteria.