This newsletter will be the beginning of a series in 2025 exploring the stories of the remarkable people still dedicated to preserving the skills and works of old world craftsmanship. Over the course of Canning’s history as architectural decorators, designers, and preservationists, we have heard many times “people still do that?” Beautiful architecture seems to be a thing of the past, as post-modern buildings pierce the American skyline and the buildings of old crumble or are knocked down. It can often feel as though the changing tastes in design will oust traditional trades and methods and drive them into extinction. Canning unites artists, artisans, and craftsmen from the United States to Germany, from Italy to the Philippines to preserve both the art and techniques used in places of worship across America. 

The project that first inspired the question “people still do that?” came about when a client asked if building a reredos was still possible today. Canning’s answer was a resounding yes and we began designing a wooden reredos inpsired by the original, complete with quatrefoils, pointed arches, and spires. This specific piece of church furniture was often removed from older churches as it was considered too ornate and costly. Particularly valuable ones were made of stone, but very often a reredos was made of wood since it is malleable, cost-effective, and lightweight.

Canning has encountered many historic photos of churches that reveal an original reredos and we have helped restore these historic designs, but we encounter many other churches that want to add a reredos that is entirely new. Through these projects, we not only seek to keep these practices alive, our goal is to make the church and its furniture seem as if it has always belonged. Our design was, therefore, specific to the church but as timeless as the work of craftsmen before us. Thus began our commitment to showcase through various art forms that, yes, people still do that.  

A less common feature in modern churches but one of the oldest traditional symbols of authority is a baldachin. Originally named for a luxurious cloth from the Middle East, a baldachin was often placed over a throne, a rider on horseback, or a processional litter to signify this authority. It often bore heraldic symbols and identified the heritage and importance of whomever it framed. Naturally, this symbol of power and reverence adapted to religious use as a baldachin was used in paintings, religious processions, and over altars of sacrifice.

At the height of the Baroque period, the baldachin became a popular feature as the scale of buildings continued to grow larger, making any furniture within the space seem too tiny and out of place. The baldachin at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe mirrors that in Santa Maria Maggiore of Rome, as tassels seem to sway in the wind and the cornice bows outward between the straight marbled columns. Unlike the oversized baldachin in Santa Maria Maggiore, a baldachin typically bridges the gap in scale, framing the centerpiece of the church: the altar and tabernacle. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the monumental size of the building lends itself well to the liturgy and beauty of the space. To balance the composition, Canning’s baldachin accounts for both the monumental and human scale, making the result a sacred place for heavenly and earthly bodies.

A creative take on the ancient practice of painting faux windows and landscapes, the simulated stained-glass window in the apse of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Norwich, CT shows an unbroken thread of artistic creativity to address issues in cost and practice. The walls in the cathedral were constructed in brick over 3 feet thick, making any attempt to create new windows in the apse not impossible but too expensive and disruptive to the main church. To side-step these problems but still make the apse feel complete and cohesive, the team carefully designed and mapped a stained-glass window and frame, adhered it to canvas covered with aluminum leaf and painted with virus paint and printing ink. Finally, to complete the effect, spotlights were positioned so the raking light makes the canvas appear to have light shining through it. The result is nothing short of artistic magic and remains one of our most unconventional feats.

Grisaille, French for “greyed,” is a painting technique at least as old as 1308, when Giotto first painted figures to look like statues in the Scrovegni Chapel. Artists like Hieronymus Bosch, Jan van Eyck, and even Pablo Picasso used this technique for varying purposes. Over 700 years later, this marvel is still employed and visible in Canning’s murals at the minor basilica of St. John Evangelist in Stamford, CT. Two large portions of the wall, once covered by a balcony, threw off the visual balance as a tall window soared in the center. To balance the composition, Canning designed canvas artwork creating the illusion of statues in niches. Four saints: St. Pius IX, St. Patrick, St. Michael the Archangel, and St. Philip Neri are depicted in grisaille in their niches, thus tricking the eye, beautifying the space, and continuing the centuries-old artistic technique.

Rood derives from Old English, meaning pole, and served as the original word for cross before the Francophone cruc and crucifix replaced it. A rood beam depicts Christ crucified usually at the opening of an apse with attendant figures such as Mary, St. John, or angels. The rood beam or attached rood screen often separated the choir from the congregation and separated the performance of the mass within the holy-of-holies, only being fully revealed to the congregation on holy days. A rood screen can be one of the most beautiful features of a church as it directs the gaze to the front of the church and creates a sense of wonder for the beauty that lies beyond.

The rood in St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Norwalk, CT was both a practical and a beautiful addition. A large steel beam at the crossing needed to be transformed into an intentional design and liturgical piece. The priest wanted a French Gothic interior, so a capsule of woodgrained plaster was added around the beam, blending the rood seamlessly into the design and effectively disguising the steel beneath. Spandrels were added to connect the beam and the walls, incorporating more Gothic elements via quatrefoils and scalloped edges. The piece marks a beautiful return to tradition and adherence to timeless design.  

Often, one of the most spectacular elements of a church is its music. Organs naturally play a key role on this and are one of the oldest musical instruments in the world. They have been incorporated in religious liturgy since at least the 7th century since they are ideally suited to accompany either one voice or a whole choir. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart called the organ the “king of instruments” and rightly so; few instruments can emit as much earth-shaking volume and incorporate so many different registers. Canning has proudly restored multiple sets of historic organs and let the outer appearance match their capacity for beauty.

The University of Virginia chapel displays two unique sets of organ pipes that form one corner of the church. When we first brought them into the studio, the original colors and gilding were difficult to recognize. Over the course a various paint studies and analyses, we discovered the original palette and stencil patterns which, keeping with the 1880’s style in which it was built, features decoration from the Aesthetic Movement that is matched in the stained-glass windows. Designs based on pressed flowers, as well as warm, earthy tones complement the wooden bases in both sets of pipes and the pointed arches that house both sets mimic the wooden hammerbeam ceiling. These complementary details elevate the restored interior to new heights, placing the organ in a position of equal importance as the stained glass, ceiling beams, and wall color. Together, in true Aesthetic Movement fashion, they seamlessly blend into a building that is a whole work of art. 

All of our work, whether it is restored original or newly inspired, bears the mark of traditional craftsmanship and time-honored motifs. We know our work is complete when it seems it has always been there and is a source of beauty which leaves nothing to be desired. We seek to blaze trails that, rather than create new styles, lead back to the timeless designs that capture the eye every day. In the words of our inspiration, designer and author Owen Jones, “That which is beautiful is true; that which is true must be beautiful.”

Starting in 2025, we will begin a series in this newsletter sharing the stories of people dedicated to old-world craftsmanship and beautiful design. Our dedication to the words of Owen Jones will continue to inspire our work for decades and will hopefully inspire more artists and craftsmen to once again pick up the unbroken thread and say yes, we are proud to still do this.

We often hear the question: How do you recreate the historic colors that were originally used in order to maintain the historic fabric of the structure? It’s an important question to ask and answer, especially in cases where restoration and conservation are concerned. In order to recreate historic colors, we need to understand the fundamentals of traditional paints.

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Canning Liturgical Arts is a proud recipient of the 2024 Bulfinch Craftsmanship/Artisanship Award for our work on the First Church of Christ in Woodbridge, CT.

Learn more about the project here. 

The winners of the Bulfinch Awards will be recognized at a ceremonial reception and dinner gala in the Harvard Hall at the Harvard Club of Boston, designed by Parker, Thomas & Rice on Saturday, November 9th. Learn more about the Bulfinch Awards here.