Catharine Kingsman is proprietor of Intarsia Treasures and sells her wood-art or wall plaques across Canada from her home in Prince Edward County, Ontario.  She features Canadian wildlife; her best sellers are Canada Geese, Great Blue Heron, Gray Wolf and Moose.

Intarsia is described as an ancient art of creating a pictorial mosaic by inlaying wooden pieces onto a solid background. The process is a lengthy one but the finished piece is unique and original making it well worth the time and effort.

One of her commissioned pieces, entitled Souring, was designed as the emblem for the Quinte Christian High School and another is the emblem for the Trenton Air Cadets Training Centre.

Catharine’s wood-art pieces sell at the following gift shops and galleries in Ontario: The Snow Goose, Sparks St., Ottawa; the Visitors’ Centre, Algonquin Provincial Park in August; The Framing Place and Gallery, Huntsville; Anneka’s Bay Shore Gallery, Belleville; Cornerstone Fine Art and Craft, Kingston; First Hand Canadian Craft, Queen’s Quay, Toronto; Whetungs Art Gallery, Curve Lake Indian Reserve; Thousand Islands Duty Free Shop, Hill Island; and at the Bon Echo Provincial Park and Presquile Provincial Park stores.  In Nova Scotia you can buy her work at The Seagull Pewter Retail Store, Pugwash.

My patterns are original.  Using the heron for an example, he is four separate pieces.  Each piece is cut out, then sanded and shaped with a spindle sander.  Next, they are hand-sanded, and then stained the appropriate colour.  All pieces are glued back together and then glued onto a solid background of wood.  Three coats of protective matt finish are applied to protect the wood for years to come.  They are very sturdy and can be wiped clean of dust with a damp cloth.

I use basswood mostly along with some poplar and maple which I purchase at a local wood mill.  I sign the back of each piece and stamp the back with my company stamp.  A hanging tag and a short bio are also included.