Marquetry Magic
Artist ~ Ernest Mills ~

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Mabry Mill, Floyd County, VA
13-1/4” (33.6 cm) x 9-1/8" (23.2 cm)
Entered as a Class 10a noncompetitive entry in the 2013 International Exhibition.
The Marquetarian magazine ed. comments:
An excellent balance of veneers which certainly does make the water look
astonishingly realistic in appearance. Warmly atmospheric.

Mabry Mill is a watermill located at milepost 176.2 of Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd County, Virginia. It is a tourist attraction mainly for the picturesque views of the mill itself.
Mabry Mill was built by Edwin Boston Mabry (E.B. Mabry). E.B. Mabry returned to Floyd County in 1903 and began the construction of the mill. It was first a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, then became a sawmill. By 1905 it was in operation as a gristmill. By 1910 the front part of the mill was completed and included a lathe for turning out wheel hubs, a tongue and groove lathe, a planer and a jig-saw. Between 1905 and 1914 E.B. Mabry bought adjacent tracts of land, mostly for the purpose of acquiring more water power.
This piece measures 13-1/4” (33.6 cm) x 9-1/8" (23.2 cm) and was pressed onto a piece of ¼” MDF board, and backed by a single piece of Maple veneer. It was sanded with 220 grid then 6 coats of sanding sealer were applied. Between each application the surface was wet and dry sanded with 600 grid using a flat steel block. It was finished with 3 coats of wipe on Satin polyurethane varnish and finally polished with Renaissance wax. It is all Scalpel cut.

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