The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

shop in his garage, which he converted to a climate controlled studio/ workshop. Here he built custom guitars and also started a company that supplied guitar makers with tools and fixtures. The jig (tool) company brought in dependable income so that Mark would be able to do the “fun stuff” while having money coming in. Five years ago Mark scuttled from the tool com- pany, even though it was a money maker because he wanted to focus on guitar making and also custom inlay, which he had become very interested in. He gave up a regular paycheque to do what he loved. Says Mark “The decision was more intuition than reason, however in the end it worked out because now I get paid to make art instead of breathing in plywood. dust making tools.” As time passes, Mark is doing more and more inlay work and loving every minute of it. Custom inlay work on a guitar is basically an- other outlet for design, for art.”A guitar needs to have strings, frets, a fingerboard and bridge. It doesn’t need inlay. My guitars are one of a kind because no piece of wood is the same as another. Inlay adds more to person- alize it. I feel my inlay work is kind of like being a tattoo artist in that it is just as permanent and there is a close connection with my customer when designing the art.” Mark says his inlay work is personal, distinctive and very rewarding. “I ask a customer what they want and then I try to give them what they really want; I try to interpret and articulate their desires.” The kind of guitars and inlay work Mark does cannot be found in music stores. They are sold direct to customers and clients who have heard of Mark through word of mouth or within the world inhabited by guitar aficionados. The guitars Mark builds and works on sell in the range of about $4,500 to $8,500, depending of course on the amount of detail and options required going into each and every guitar. Having your guitar crafted and personalized is a very intense and artistic experience. Mark has built 27 guitars under his own name and collaborated on many more due to his involvement with inlays. Today he is building fewer guitars and concen- trating more on the inlay work alone. His customer base is global and most of his work comes through word of mouth and recommendations from very satisfied customers. Lately, he has collabo- rated with some of his favourite guitar makers. Most notably are Linda Manzer, Sergei de Jonge, David Wren and Alastair Miller — these are mostly Torontonians who are world famous in the guitar making world. Mark has a lot of work coming his way in the inlay business and spends between 40 and 50 hours weekly at his specialized craft. Mark explains, “A lot of people don’t want to do inlay work; it’s incredibly detailed and time consuming. I have lots of work because of referrals and people who have seen and like my work. Inlay is a reasonably non-competitive part of the guitar world. It requires intricate and artistic work, both of which I enjoy.” Please turn to page 11 FOCUS - DECEMBER 2011 7 DECEMBER FOCUS.56.indd 7 4121/11 9:21:21 AM