GEORGE’S designs
Woodcarved Traditional and Ecclesiastical Furniture
Welcome
Woodcarving is a form of art that has been in use since the antiquity for the construction and decoration of house tools. The evolvement of the craft has given us marvelous ornamental items, as well as ecclesiastical furniture (iconostasis, church warden’s pew, icon stands, etc.).
Woodcarving blossomed during the Byzantium era and has been alive as an art ever since. Famous were the woodcraft workshops in Greece and Cyprus, as well as the wandering craftsmen, that worked directly with the Church, creating handcrafted pieces of art.
Personally I am deeply fascinated by wood as a material, but also by the way that the love and craftmanship of an artist can transform the basic elements of the material and turn it into an icon of true faith and artistic beauty. That is exactly what we try to express through our woodcarving by producing furniture and items that are to be used domestically, but also creations that decorate Orthodox churches and monasteries all over the world.
Following this ancient tradition, I tried in the past forty years to create pieces of art that represent different traditions : (Byzantian, Loui XV, Loui XVI , Baroque, Renaissance) , because it is my belief that each one of the distinct traditions reflects through the ages the beauty of the era that it is representative of.
I am very proud of the fact that my works decorate Greek Orthodox Churches, in Greece but also in Canada, USA and Australia. Furthermore It makes me happy that even today a substantial number of people that belong to younger generations choose to furnish their houses with traditional furniture, allowing this way me and my fellow craftsmen to continue practicing and keeping alive the tradition of the woodcarved furniture.
I hope that the outcome of my woodcarved testament as it is displayed on my exhibited pieces on this website will convince you to contact me for a more thorough presentation of my work.
Sincerely
George Papadimitriou