Remembering the Ontario

Gilding Classes

Gold Leaf Restoration Gilding For Fine Artists Glass Gilding/Églomisé

A Much Anticipated Return To Ontario

Each of the towns and cities where I have taught gilding have their own flavor and specialness from meandering the bookshops of San Francisco to the flavorful Indian Restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky where along the rural countryside there’s a landscape of grasslands and horses and always wonderful people and students in each place. Two locations, however, stand out for personal reasons - New York City and Owen Sound, Ontario.

These two areas, one among the most bustling cities in the world and the other, a comfortably quaint village are in most ways worlds apart. But for me, New York in the end is home, born and raised and where I began my long gilding career in my early years as a member of the Visual Merchandising Department at Saks Fifth Avenue forty years ago before moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1988. So my visits allow me to both visit the city and people while teaching students who come from down the block, all over the United States, and as far away as Hong Kong, The Philippines, and South Africa.

On the other end is Owen Sound, this quintessential small Town at the northernmost part of Ontario, Canada. It was in Tara, a small Village in Owen Sound where my maternal grandfather came from and who I was named after. My grandfather also did some gilding and had worked on both the original Roxy Theatre and Radio City Music Hall in the 1930’s in New York. The odd thing is that I never knew this until I had already been gilding for 17 years when I learned this bit of family history.

The other meaningful coincidence here is that I would eventually meet an Art Conservator, Amber Harwood whose business Georgian Bay Conservation is located in Owen Sound. As life would have it, Amber invited me to teach at her studio which I did in 2019. As small as the area is, the classes sold out. It was such a wonderful experience for us all that we decided to do it again. And then the Pandemic hit.

Two and a half years later we have now set the return date to beautiful Ontario and looking forward to meeting all of you who can make it for the first week of May, 2023!

Update: It is now 2025 and looking back, the Ontario classes were such a wonderful experience with many thanks to our glorious and talented Host Amber Harwood! Both visits to Owen Sound were very well attended with gratitude to those who made the journey. Till we meet again! ~ Charles