Georgia Girl, winner of the Craftsman's Challenge Grand Prize, features cherry sheet veneer cabinetry.
The Veneer Tech Craftman's Challenge named a sportfishing yacht entry from Paul Mann Custom Boats as the competition's cabinetry category and grand prize winner.
The Manns Harbor, N.C., boat builder received a total of $4,000 in prize winnings for the 81-foot "Georgia Girl." Hand-selected, plain-sliced cherry sheet veneer accented with figured cherry were used for the custom countertops and cabinetry throughout the yacht. Sales representative, Jack King, from the yacht's veneer supplier.
Atlantic Veneer Mill Outlet was the supplier of veneer for the project. Sales representative Jack King receives $1000 in recognition of his participation in the supply chain.
“Overall the quality of the work was remarkable,” said Keith Yow, one of three competition judges. “The scope of the projects was tremendous, particularly in the Specialty Items category. The marquetry in many pieces displays incredible artistic visions and abilities; it made judging difficult. The craftsmanship was exceptional, especially in the case of fitting cabinets with so many radiuses into the cabin of a yacht.” Yow is department chair of the Career Technical Education Program at Cedar Ridge High School, Hillsborough, N.C.
The other category winners in this year’s competition, each receiving $1000, were: Architectural Woodworking, Fetzer Architectural Woodwork, Salt Lake City, Utah, for Montage Hotel and Resort; Furniture, Craig Thibodeau, CT Fine Furniture, San Diego, Calif., for Dogwood Cabinet; Specialty Items, two winners, Rob Milam of VeneerImages, Atlanta, Ga., for Self Portrait 3, and Paul Schurch, Schurch Woodwork, Santa Barbara, Calif., for Bustier de Bois–The Sassy Zebra; and in Student Design, Christian Seifert, College of the Redwoods, for Danish Sideboard.
In Architectural Woodworking, Fetzer Architectural Woodwork, Salt Lake City, Utah, for Montage Hotel and Resort.
Eight entries earned honorable mention: Abdolhay Parnian, Parnian Furniture, Scottsdale, Ariz., for Custom Kitchen, cabinetry; Chris Boulé, Boulé LLC, Haddam Neck, Conn., for Boulé Boy, furniture; Doug Forsha, De La Madera LLC, Scottsdale, Ariz., for Curved Mappa Burl Armoire, furniture; Gregg Novosad, Click Devine, Palatine, Ill., for Reception Table with Faux Magazine, furniture; Dennis Zongker, Zongkers Custom Woods, Omaha, Neb., for Music Box 72 Note Movement, specialty item; Dušan Rakić, Prometheus065, Temerin, Serbia, for three marquetry interpretations of old masters and a photographer, St. Jerome on His Knees Before a Crucifix–Bernini, Calvary Skirmish–Vasari, and She–Demiralay, specialty item; Stanislav Karmalyuk, Dale Jackson Career Center, for The Wave, student design; and Weston Gallo, Dale Jackson Career Center for Sinusoid, student design.
Impartial third-party experts from the fields of woodworking media, education and architectural woodworking judge the Veneer Tech Craftsman's Challenge. Along with Yow, the 2011 panel included Robert Lang, executive editor, Popular Woodworking, and Bill Esler, associate publisher for Vance Publishing.
“In this contest, entrants could submit several photos, and the pieces that won (or were in the running) showed the completed pieces from a couple of different angles and included close-ups of relevant details. As we moved closer to determining a winner, this became more of a factor,” wrote Lang in his blog entry “Inside the Judges’ Chambers.” Lang encourages entrants to take as much care in photographing their work as is put into the creation of their projects.
John Varner, Veneer Tech vice president, says that a key purpose of the Craftsman’s Challenge is to recognize all the people in the veneer distribution chain as well as the designer. “This is an excellent way to promote industry creativity and strengthen supply relationships.”
All entries can be viewed on Veneer Tech's website at www.veneertech.com. There also is an archive of 2005-2010 entries.The Veneer Tech Craftsman's Challenge entries for 2012 will be accepted beginning Sept. 30, 2011. The results of the 2012 competition will be announced at IWF in Atlanta.