27 October 2010

Gilding in New Orleans

a wee cherub awaiting restoration at St Alphonsus Church, New Orleans
This week I am in New Orleans for the Society of Gilders conference, where a crowd of gold enthusiasts and gilding professionals  have gathered to take classes, share resources, and help restore the gilding of a beautiful old old church.

I spent an afternoon at the lovely old St Alphonsus Church,  cleaning and prepping parts of an altar, and hope to get back there later in the week to help finish those areas.  In the meantime,  I have been taking a thrilling class on verre eglomisé taught by the glittering Miriam Ellner.  If you don't know Miriam's work, please check out her website and prepare to be stunned. And I should also say that photos simply do not do this work justice.   Other workshops include manuscript illumination, paintmaking, frame restoration, as well as water gilding and other special techniques of the gilding arts.  

Do you like shiny objects?  Interested in learning more about how to make them even shinier? Join the Society of Gilders - a non-profit educational organization devoted to the art and craft of gilding.