Restoring the natural beauty
PEOPLE: Barrie artist Gary Owen one of a select few north of Toronto that can restore precious pieces of art
Posted By J. T. MCVEIGH
Posted 2 months ago
In a small downtown Barrie studio with a view of the water, Gary Owen creates his own kind of alchemy.
In the main studio, works of artists from around the region hang on display, small sculptures crowd available table tops, racks of frame samples fill one wall and quiet classical music settles over the shop.
A terrific view of Kempenfelt Bay stretches across a third wall while at the back, a counter stretches across the width of the studio.
It's here, behind a black curtain, where the magic begins.
Owen knows art.
He should, he grew up with it.
First with his father, Joe Owen, whose business, Signcraft, painted monikers for just about every business in the area.
That was a time when everything was done by hand: paint, brush and palette.
"He apprenticed before the war. He was a craftsman, it was awesome to see him work'" Owen said.
"Once things started to get computerized, that wrecked it.
"Asking a customer what colour did they want, white or black, and watch it come out of a machine just didn't interest me."
Owen's resume includes curator, artist, picture framer and also the only practitioner of art restoration and conservation north of Toronto.
"I guess I am kind of unique. Unlike restorers in Toronto, I will fix the art work, and frame it as well'" Owen says.
To look at it simplistically, there is art and then there is art.
Most people see artwork, particularly paintings, as an investment.
The Rembrandt kind of thing.
But there is another vision of art that is a much more personal; one where there is a tie to the owner, a family member, memories of a time passed, or, based on the theme of the work, a connection with family history.
The works on which Owen practises are usually the latter. Perhaps the artist was in the house, or perhaps a professional was brought in to capture a portrait.
"I have restored soapstone sculptures, I have restored marble, but I guess the main thing I do is' " he says, pointing to a pastoral scene on his work bench, "is old, tired 100-year-old paintings like this, that are dirty and have some rips.
"Like these. These are holes where kids threw some darts at the painting.
"I have done some some pretty amazing things, like an 18th-century frame I had in a while ago where the whole bottom of the frame had disappeared."
Frames of that vintage were made from plaster. If the work is stored in the basement, or a shed, moisture attacks the plaster and destroys it.
Owen rebuilds these frames. Taking castings from salvageable parts of the existing frame, he creates moulds that replace what was destroyed.
"If I wanted to, I could make these things perfect, bring the finish on the frame back to what it looked like when it was first built. But it wouldn't look authentic'" Owen says.
"These things are antiques."
Restoring artwork is as much a cerebral effort as a mechanical one.
"When I get a piece in to work on, it takes me some time before I actually begin to work on it'" Owen says.
"I have to see what the material is. Is it gold leaf on the frame or gold paint? Do I have to make casts for any of the broken pieces?"
This is where getting a professional to do the work makes the difference.
Not knowing what you are working with can turn a salvageable piece into one deserving of a Viking funeral.
"The way to clean gold leaf and gold paint is entirely different. Going the wrong way will destroy the finish'" Owen says.
"You can't just get the piece in and just start doing it, because you might wreck it'" he says. "So I have the piece around the shop for awhile to psyche myself up.
"You have to know everything you can know about the frame and the painting, so I work on other things. But I keep running questions around until I am positive as to what needs to be done," he adds. "Then I get my tools and supplies out and start to work.
"It's under the dirt that you have to know."
Amateur restorers create a lot of problems.
Beyond the kids pitching darts at great-grandad, using the wrong materials can cause havoc.
"Oil paints are porous, they are really susceptible to dirt, and smoke. Nicotine can really dull down a picture," he says.
All paintings have usually been varnished after they were completed, but in the case of another picture Owen has, somebody decided that some varnish hanging around the workshop would do the trick.
Now, years later, the varnish has yellowed, and Owen is given the task of gently removing the entire glaze.
"You can see it. Somebody varnished it when it was in the frame. The is where it gets a bit hairy. Too little cleaner won't do anything and too much will damage the paint," he says.
"This isn't where you get out the Comet cleaner and start scrubbing. But when the colours are getting cleanup, that's when it is really mind-blowing, watching the whole thing come back to life."
Artwork in the home is just like having furniture. Occasionally, you might want to clean it.
"A lot of expensive restoration work could be avoided if you just have the piece tuned up occasionally," Owen says.
The air in anyone's house isn't pure.
Airborne cooking grease, smoke from fireplaces and cigarette and cigar smoke all contribute to the image becoming dull and lifeless.
"I am a bit of a fanatic about this stuff. My own taste tends towards the 19th century, so when a piece like this comes in I would be proud to have this on my wall'" he says.
Just about everything can be restored.
It the frame has been damaged it can be fixed, tears or holes in the canvas can be repaired. But it is up to the customer.
"Anyone coming in with a piece really has to want it put right. If their heart isn't in it, they won't do it ," Owen says.
"People don't do this to make a fortune, they do this to pass on their history."
Gary Owen Custom Framing and Fine Art is at 89 Dunlop St. E. on the Lakeshore Mews.
jtmcveigh@thebarrieexaminer.com
