History

The John Canning Story

The historic preservation movement in America gained acceptance and momentum in the 1960s with two significant incidents – The United States Congress passed historic preservation legislation, and Columbia University established an academic program within its Graduate School of Architecture and Planning.

At the same time in Glasgow, Scotland, John Canning, a young journeyman, was preparing to immigrate with his wife and three daughters to Connecticut.

John had worked previously as a member of the London City and Guilds out of his own studio in Glasgow with a small staff. In order to become a Guild member, he had to complete a certificate program of study, proficiency, and a five-year apprenticeship in the applied decorative arts, replicating old-world techniques and materials.

The city of Glasgow is an industrial city with a history of producing great designers and artists. Their designs were manufactured and produced in Glasgow giving rise to a resident nucleus of interdependent design-arts trade’s people. The Scottish Decorative Trade Institute (DTI), Glasgow School of Art, like the famous Kensington School in London nurtured design and art within the industrial working environment – the application of all the industrial arts.

John Canning served his five-year apprenticeship as a church decorator after studying and completing requirements at the Scottish Decorative Trade Institute, Glasgow Stow College of Building and Glasgow School of Art. Church projects remain a passion for John and Canning Studios. The design of churches represents exaltation of faith and reverence not found – or appropriate – in other structures.  The deep spiritual nature of these designs brings another dimension to the integrity of craft, and inspiration for the craftsman whose honor it is to restore religious work.

After his apprenticeship, John started a business in Glasgow. Projects came from private clients and an occasional public building.

The Canning family’s arrival in Connecticut in the early 70s coincided with the beginning of preservation interest in the Northeast. After speaking at one of Hartford’s early preservation conferences, it became clear to John that the tradesman was the missing link in the newly forming U.S. preservation movement. There were scholars to do the scientific research, and architects and engineers to make plan and design, but the input of the tradesman – applied knowledge of old-world finishes, techniques and materials, and the ability to interpret scholarly studies and original methods of execution – was missing. The architect, scholar, and tradesman were (and are) the ideal preservation team.

Just such a team was assembled for the exquisitely successful restoration of Battell Chapel at Yale University. Shortly thereafter a similar team took on the comprehensive restoration of the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford. Both projects provided the turning point in John’s career from private home decoration, to the restoration of major public buildings.

John’s research of the Capitol building revealed a purity of design that is unusual for a state house. Built by Richard Mitchell Upjohn, with interior decoration by William McPherson, the Connecticut Capitol’s design motif’s are consistent and in harmony both inside and out. Many state houses around the country have had the participation of several designers in creating their interiors. The Connecticut Capitol had just one designer, McPherson. The decoration is of the Aesthetic Period which is best described as two dimensional, rigidly symmetrical flowers and leaves with Mid-Eastern and Japanese influence. The eight pointed stars and scalloped edges, for example, appear in metalwork, stone, marble, glass, and in multiple paint schemes creating a unified composition. The interior is as fresh and vibrant today as it was the day it was finished over twenty years ago.

Canning Studios reputation for fine workmanship, high standards, and professionalism has allowed the company to choose projects represented by clients interested in doing quality work. This has been a successful approach for all involved. Canning Studios continues to grow, and the workforce expands to meet the demand for the company’s unique combination of extraordinary skill and sound business management.

In the 1990s, John chose to share the helm with David Riccio and together they have expanded the business in ways that better serve projects, clients, and their company. Working closely with John over the years on everything from hands-on decoration to formal bid submission, David confidently manages all phases of projects – walk-throughs, estimating, staffing, on-site project management, and decoration – as required. With the day-to-day project management tasks capably handled, John is free to participate in paint studies, interpret research, deliver seminars at professional association meetings, direct Canning Studios painters in decoration techniques, and remain available for consultation on all phases of every project.