A passion for working with wood and painting - and a whimsical sense of humor - have led Maryland artist Carol Pernick to create “fun and functional” wood art for over 20 years. From participation in an annual “art and humor” show in a Washington, D.C. gallery to the juried 2007 American Crafts Festival at Lincoln Center in New York City, Carol’s portraits and constructed art have been making people smile.

Carol’s latest artistic adventure into the largely unexplored realm of game board art is both a celebration of pure fun and a return to an ancient time when game boards were recognized works of art that players enjoyed as much for their beauty and craftsmanship as for the challenge of the contest.

A Wayne State University art school graduate who also studied painting in Rome, Italy, Carol remembers the many boxed, mass-produced board games that she played with her siblings when they were children. It is the vivid memory, however, of learning and playing Mah Jong as a child that inspired Carol to create game boards and playing pieces imbued with sensual pleasure for both the hand and the eye.

The games and other works of art you see here are just the beginning. Carol says more works of fancy are on the way!