James Macdonald

James Macdon­ald seems to be success­fully getting away with spend­ing most of his life in play clothes, engrossed in his craft of working with wood. Early train­ings in mold­mak­ing, guitar­mak­ing, cabi­net­mak­ing, and boat­build­ing served Macdon­ald well in devel­op­ing a broad-based skill set. Enter­ing his 26th year of working in his own shop, Macdon­ald special­izes in marquetry and inlay work used to embell­ish furni­ture, guitars, wall hanging art, and portrai­ture. Initially learn­ing from this country’s master marque­tar­ian, Silas Kopf, Macdon­ald went on to assist, then co-teach with Kopf at the Center for Furni­ture Crafts­man­ship and has been a faculty member since 2000. Collab­o­ra­tions with other wood­work­ers are a major compo­nent of his work. Clients include the Gibson Custom Shop, Hinck­ley Yachts, and locally, Phi Home Design.