Mission accomplished, my sewing table has been given a new life and a new name! Due to the amount of time and energy it has taken to finish this piece, I’ve decided to call it Ars Gratia Artis (Art for Art’s Sake).
After pouncing the design came the decision making for which woods to paint… I often work by intuition so this had not actually been planned in advance. I’ve included rosewood, lemonwood, kingwood, ebony and mother of pearl. All of these have been hand painted using traditional techniques, the majority executed with oil glazes (linseed oil + terpentine). I find that there is greater depth and richness to the colours when using this method.
A few coats of satin oil based varnish were applied by hand to finish off and protect the table top.
In collaboration with l’entreprise Peinture Fischer from Rosheim, France, Ars Gratia Artis was shown in an exhibition for master artisans organized by the FREMAA in Ribeauvillé, France.