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Patricchio's Prototypes
Wood Working
While attending Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, I was trained to do intricate
wood inlay work by Fr. Victor Zehnder, S.J. His work as a master wood inlay artist is
well known in the area. He is no longer with us, but he is surely with God and the Saints.
His special talent for inlaying extremely intricate wood patterns was
world class. The closest quality wood inlay work I've seen other than
Fr. Zehnder's work was done at the Schoenbrun Palace in Vienna, which was the
Hapsburg's summer home until the end of WW1.
Fr. Zehnder's boxes, tables, and inlayed wooden still life scenes are something to behold.
Anybody familiar with Fr. Zehnder's work knows he was a master wood worker
and had a special talent for inlaying extremely intricate wood patterns. While the
rest of my classmates were either playing ball or socializing during their free period,
I spent my free time in his shop watching and learing how to operate power tools and do
this special kind of wood work.
I am most fortunate he taught me his methods, especially when I make an error
in my work.
The lumber yard close by carries a large variety of specialty woods and various cabinet grade plywoods so
I can build just about anything with about any choice of wood, but I would not put myself in Fr. Zehnder's league.
All wood work is primarilly finished with or without a stain plus multiple layers of
shellac for a furniture grade finish.
I had a project making a Crucifix for the Sacristy at St. Peter's Church in Spokane.
My next project is finishing a permanent Confessional Screen at St. Peter's. I hope to get
that project done in the near future.
I hope to have photos of both of those projects in the near future as well.