An excellent article and slide show about Alison Elizabeth Taylor, an artist who uses marquetry, the craft technique of covering objects in fanciful wood veneers, which hit its high point in the Renaissance-era. Taylor works on flat surfaces, "painting" scenes of hipsters and lovelies in a desert landscape that recalls Sergio Leone. Her show is up now through June 21 at James Cohan Gallery, in Chelsea.
Update: The Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio that Taylor mentions as her inspiration is one of my favorite things in New York. -jkottke