PAINTING IN STONE
Traditionally trained, Thomas Greenaway draws on his time in Italy to piece together pietra dura, creating artworks that will be treasured for a lifetime, and longer
Early morning in the gentle hills of Tuscany: Thomas, pickaxe in hand, methodically digs into the earth to uncover a wealth of marble and semiprecious stones. These will be transformed into pieces of furniture or artworks that will be treasured for generations to come. This is where every shard of Thomas’s pietra dura begins.
Thomas brings home his geological nds to rural Northamptonshire, where he creates his ‘paintings in stone’ in his converted Edwardian outbuilding. But his journey to becoming a master cra sperson began in Scotland, at the renowned Chippendale International School of Furniture. It was here that he discovered his love of marquetry work. Thomas worked hard to master this ornate cra , but li le did he know how this would stand him in good stead for a calling he was yet to discover.
Flourishing in Florence
It was while he was studying art history in Italy that Thomas fell in love with marquetry in stone. Pietra dura has an expansive history and dates back as far as the Ancient Romans. However, it wasn’t until the 16th century that this art form blossomed in the Italian cultural epicentre, Florence. It’s no wonder that this is where Thomas was introduced to, and later mastered, the intricate cra of pietra dura. ‘I had four wonderful years in Italy learning the art form in a family workshop,’ he tells us.
During a trip to the Opi cio delle Pietre Dure museum, Thomas’s fascination with this exquisite cra was sown. ‘It houses some magni cent mosaics that I felt could be mistaken for paintings,’ he