SOG Instructors
Joe Balabuszko
Joe Balabuszko is a master gilder and journeyman sign painter, with over 50 years of experience in the trade. His career began in Chicago. He was educated at the Washburne Trade School for 5 years with a concurrent apprenticeship at a Chicago sign company. Joe learned every aspect of the sign industry. His main focus and specialty was hand lettering. Joe’s expertise expanded to include gilding. His gilded signs were seen across Chicago. Large-scale architectural projects include the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chicago Union Station, and private building commissions. Gilding has become Joe’s absolute passion as an artist. He has a wealth of knowledge on the history, use of materials, techniques, and applications of gilding. Joe is a teacher and mentor. He has helped to build a community of gilders across the globe. Memberships include the Society of Gilders, Colleagues of Calligraphy, Board member of the Chicago Brushmasters.
Joe teaches private studio classes has for many years taught tutorials for organizations such as The Chicago Brushmasters and Colleagues of Calligraphy
Joe was an advocate for what became the Museum of the Gilding Arts when the concept was being presented to the city of Pontiac, Il. Joe has been quoted in many trade publications about gilding and gilding techniques.
Brendon J. Brandon
Designs & Signs was founded in 1978 by Brendon J. Brandon. Mr. Brandon has a lifetime of sign make experience, working in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, and the United States. He is past President of the Society of Gilders, and for six years he was head editor of its magazine, “The Gilders Tip”. He has taught gilding and sign making classes for the Society of Gilders, The International Sign Association, and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
His has completed significant projects in Washington D.C. and Maryland including glass gilding at Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, monument carving at World War II Memorial, architectural gilding at Navy-Marine Corp Memorial Stadium and the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Micki Cavanah
Micki Cavanah is the owner of Reed’s Gold Leaf Studios in Nashville, TN. The company was founded by her mother Lou Reed in 1972. She passed along her knowledge and expertise to many students along the way as well as Micki and her husband Mitchell who now continue to provide the gilding and restoration services to their clients. Their work can be seen all around the Southeastern United States in various galleries, museums, historic homes, commercial buildings and private collections. Included in their work are Athena Parthenos and The Schermerhorn Symphony Center both in Nashville, TN. Micki teaches one on one classes and selected group classes in restoration and gilding.
Miriam Ellner
Miriam Ellner has been working in the field of Design and Verre Eglomise since 1987. She has studied in Europe, Pilchuck Glass in Washington, Urban Glass in New York and The Studio in Corning, New York. Her body of work, for such designers as Juan Pablo Molyneux, David Easton and Tony Ingrao, extends to projects worldwide. In the fine arts field, her glass paintings are on a commission basis. Miriam has been featured on the Martha Stewart Living TV show and as a designer in the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in NYC. Her work has been auctioned at Sothebys.
Samuel Feinstein
www.SamuelFeinsteinBookbinding.com
Samuel Feinstein trained formally at the North Bennet Street School program under Jeff Altepeter and Martha Kearsley. Since graduating in 2012 he has been in private practice specializing in fine bindings, luxury clamshell boxes, new bindings in period style, and gold finishing for other binders.
Michael Gilbert
michaelgilbert65@yahoo.com
Michael Gilbert is a gilder, carver, and frame maker with nearly forty years of experience. The American frame designs of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century are the inspiration for most of his work. He has been a teacher since the late 1970’s, with sixteen years at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and with the Society of Gilders since 2001.
Michael Kramer
Michael is the founder and President of the Gilders’ Studio. He learned the trade from a master decorator while working his way through the University of Maryland in the late 1960s. In 1985 he formed the studio and has concentrated on broadening his horizons in decorative painting and all forms of gilding. Michael is a noted educator and author in his field, teaching for the Smithsonian as well as the Society of Gilders and is a Recipient of the Washington Building Congress’ Craftsmanship Award. A longtime member of the Society of Gilders, he served as president from 2006 to 2013
Jill London
Jill is a master gilder and educator, with over 30 years experience. She got her start in the field by serving a traditional apprenticeship after graduating from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. A long-serving board member of the Society of Gilders, Jill served as Education Chair for the Society for over fifteen years and is a noted educator in the gilding arts across the country. She has studios on the East and West coasts, where she incorporates gilding into her paintings. Part of her time during the year is spent working on large scale architectural gilding projects including the General Sherman sculpture, the Nascar Hall of Fame, the New York Life Insurance Co., Union Train Station in Washington, DC, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the Orange County Performing Arts Center, among others.
Jill is available for in person instrtuction for requested private or group classes in Traditional Water gilding; Oil Gilding; Gilding on Paper; Panel Gilding; Sgraffito, Granito and Punchwork; Egg Tempera painting on Gilded surfaces; Gilding with Garlic.
Peter H. Miller
Peter came to gilding and frame making through early exposure to wood- working through his father, and later, through clients at his frame shop asking for samples. After meeting members of the Society of Gilders, Peter took on with full commitment the process of learning everything possible (which is impossible) about water gilding. Frame making and water gilding were parallel paths. After studying with several SOG gilders during the 90’s, Peter tailored his business to offer only frames of his own design, inspired by history, tradition, and fine craftsmanship. Peter has designed and made frames for private clients, antique dealers, interior designers and institutions. Publicly, Peter’s frames are in the collections of the Brandywine Museum, George W. Bush Presidential Library, Mattatuck Museum, Two Red Roses Foundation and, most recently, George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Peter’s affiliation with the Society of Gilders includes serving on the Board of Trustees for 17 years and serving as the Society’s President for 7 years.
Peter is available for in person classes as private or group sessions in a variety of traditional techniques such as Water Gilding, Sgraffito, Granito and Punchwork.
Sarah Pringle
Sarah Pringle, an applied artist, is the owner of Cinch in Easthampton Massachusetts. Founded in 2000, Cinch offers custom surfaces for furniture and architectural elements for architects, interior designers and contractors to the trade. Techniques offered include surface and glass gilding as well as parchment and leather.
Lynne Rutter
Lynne Rutter is a fine art muralist and decorative painter based in San Francisco, whose work emphasizes site-specific design and authentic materials and techniques. She has been an active part of the design community for over 35 years and has completed hundreds of installations nationally and internationally. Gilding has played a large role in Lynne’s work whether in restoration, ornamentation, or her large-scale paintings. Teaching is also an important part of Lynne’s practice and she has mentored hundreds of students and assistants throughout her long career. She is currently serving as President of the Society of Gilders.
Due to my current schedule I will be limiting classes to in-person small groups in studio.
Catherine Lignier
Catherine Lignier , the founder of Studio Mamaki, has been a professional gilder for over 24 years, and an artist focused on the use of ancestral art practices and techniques. She works on Buddhist temples internationally, on landmarks of public and religious importance in the US, and does restoration and original art for private clients. She was the recipient of the California Preservation Foundation 2021 Preservation Design Award for craftsmanship/preservation Technology. Catherine is a member of the Society of Gilders, and has taught Kintsugi and gilding in the traditional Japanese Lacquer art practices for the Society since 2023.
Marybeth Ting
Born in the Philippines, Marybeth ran her own design and construction company in Manila. One of her landmark projects was designing the Shrine of St Therese, a Roman Catholic church in the heart of Manila. She was also the recipient of the Design Excellence Award from The Metrobank Foundation in 2005. Shortly after, Marybeth moved to Toronto where she discovered the art of verre églomisé – an art form embedded in rich history dating back to the 18th century, employing various metals and the iconic gold leaf on glass to produce a lustrous finish. A traditional art complemented with contemporary techniques, Marybeth has elevated the art form inspired by nature motifs, natural patterns and profound textures. Her artistry continues to evolve exploring skills in patination and using mother of pearl inlay on glass.Marybeth is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers New York-Metro and the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario, and a member of The Home Trust International that brands refined tastemakers, artisans and trusted advisors who source the affluent market. Marybeth has worked with clients on commissioned pieces ranging from glass paintings, tabletops, kitchen backsplash and wall panels. Her work is being exhibited and collected internationally.
Alison Woolley
Alison Woolley is recognized by the region of Tuscany as a master artisan. She started her career as an apprentice in a traditional Florentine ‘bottega’ decorating furniture in the Renaissance style. Over the years this specialized work blossomed into an expertise in creating luxuriously decorated surfaces of many kinds, from interior murals to harpsichord decoration. AlisonAlison has been teaching for many years and enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge of traditional decorative techniques.
