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Print ArticleA table featuring pau ferro, holly, lacewood, wenge, laurel burl and pear veneers was chosen as the top entry out of a total 168 entries in the fourth annual Veneer Tech Craftsman's Challenge™ competition, announced in Atlanta during the 2008 IWF® show. Gregg Novosad of Divine Design, Palatine, Ill., was awarded the $5,000 grand prize for excellence in woodwork featuring natural veneer and wood product applications. Certainly Wood, distributor to Divine Design, received a cash award of $3,000 and salesman Jim Carroll received $2,000 in recognition of their participation in the supply chain.
Novosad’s winning “Clicker Control” entry contrasted the old and the new by placing a whimsical storyline on top of a classic egg and dart pattern. “Marquetry is often described as painting with wood, and 17 different veneers were used in my artist’s palette,” said Novosad. “My goal was to bring a smile to the viewer as they imagine their own ‘clicker control’ bliss.”
Pete Michelinie of The North Bennet Street School, Boston, Mass., received a $1,000 scholarship check in the Student category for his corner cabinet featuring basswood, poplar, hard maple, satinwood, holly, mappa burl, walnut burl, eucalyptus, black castello and zebrawood veneers. Michelinie’s design was inspired by French furniture. The "Louie Cube" pattern on the front of the cabinet is commonly found on pieces from the Louis XIV and XV eras.
Category winners receiving trophies were:
Architectural Woodworking:“Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center” by Ralph Peterson of ONSITE Woodwork Corporation, Loves Park, Ill.;
Cabinetry:“Torah Ark, Brooklyn Heights Synagogue” by Lorelei and Alex Gruss of Studio Gruss, Brooklyn, N.Y.;
Furniture:“Cognac Cabinet” by Silas Kopf of Kopf Woodworking, Northampton, Mass.;
Specialty Items:“Steinway D Duo-Art Art Case Piano” by Geoffrey Kaiser and David Snyder of Snyder’s Piano Service, Inc., Robesonia, Pa.;
Store Fixtures:“Strata Fixture, Furniture Environment” by Thomas Reistetter of Thomas Reistetter Studio for Silvestri California, Los Angeles, Calif.
