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Troy Lichthardt began learning to work with wood at the age of eight when he and his father Ed became involved in 4-H. He learned a great deal from his father and, by the time he was a teenager, Troy was an accomplished woodworker making elaborate pieces of furniture, cabinetry, guitars, and antique reproductions. What makes his work interesting and unique is his application of the art of intarsia to his pieces. Intarsia is a style of decorative or pictorial inlay involving a mosaic of wood pieces onto a groundwork of solid wood. It later inspired the development of marquetry and inlay. The art of intarsia dates back to ancient Egypt and Rome, but was especially prevalent during the Italian Renaissance. The process of intarsia is expensive and painstaking. First, the groundwork, or base wood, is prepared by carving, lowering and trenching the artistic design. Next, precious hardwoods are cut into ¼" and ½" tiles. These mosaic tiles are fit and set one at a time in a bed of glue in the base. Finally, the inlaid surface is scraped, rubbed down, waxed, and burnished. The result is a magnificent picture or design in a piece of furniture or cabinetry that has a three-dimensional artistic quality. A great deal is accomplished in the design by the choice of wood types, color, and tone and the arrangement of the grain direction. Some items incorporate more than fifteen species of wood. My Grain Creative Woodwork became a full-time custom woodworking business in 1997. Troy's furniture and intarsia designs are artistic and unique. He can make anything with a panel that can incorporate a picture or design. www.Wisconsinmade.com is pleased to offer several of Troy's pieces: a Snow Scene End Table, a Lighthouse Scene End Table, a Boy and Girl Hope Chest, a Wedding Card/Hope Box, and a four foot round Pub Table. According to Troy Lichthardt, "A picture says a thousand words!" This is especially true about his intarsia furniture items. If you're in the LaCrosse area, visit his showroom at 216 W. Roberts St., Holmen, Wisconsin. | ||||||||||||||||
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