Gregory Howarth ACR
Projects
About Me
I am self-employed, specialising in easel paintings, wall paintings and polychrome sculpture. I was born, raised and trained in Canada. I trained and worked on easel paintings until moving to Britain in 1987 where I worked for 15 years assisting other conservators working mostly on wall paintings in churches and historic buildings. I also continued working on easel paintings. I was accredited by ICON in 2000 and the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators in 2003. Now, I have a small studio for paintings and sculptures and manage my own site projects. The site work includes wall paintings, sculpture and collection care; I will work anywhere worldwide. I like working with private clients and small institutions helping them care for their valued paintings and sculptures. I also enjoy the challenges and rewards of site projects. Each type of work has its special pleasures.
PRACTICE
I work out of a small studio that I share with Alexandra Kosinova ACR. We have decades of experience at site work and take on small and large projects, locally and abroad.
In the studio I work mostly on small easel paintings for private owners and institutions. I also repair broken plaster and wooden sculptures such as busts and religious figures.
The site work includes assessments and treatments of wall paintings, easel paintings, sculptures and most any painted historical surface. I advise on collection care and install and maintain temperature and relative humidity data loggers. My training in Project Management means I do all the project management efficiently.
I do not charge for estimates if the client can bring the piece to my studio for assessment. If the client agrees to go ahead I provide a written treatment proposal with options and costs.
Rates are £50 to £70 per hour. Most extended treatments are charged at the lower rate and short term consulting at the higher.
I provide professional insurance that covers the value of the object while in the studio, public liability and professional indemnity.
Client Testimonials
Greg Howarth has restored a number of oil paintings for me since he was recommended to me in 2003 – the last pair of portraits excellently given new life in 2019. As well as family portraits, he has repaired, cleaned and re-pegged two detailed landscapes (dating from c1850s) – precious family possessions that had been badly damaged, stained and fallen into disrepair through numerous moves and changes of hands (two visible holes, are no longer visible). For each job, Greg has provided a detailed assessment of the treatment to be carried out, and he has performed the repairs to a very high standard within his estimated timescale and within the quote provided. Work carried out has been meticulously documented with photographic records showing before, during and after. He was especially meticulous with one particular Scottish landscape helping to reveal the history behind the painter, whose name had been obscured by years of fireplace smoke! I have been delighted by the results of his work for me and am happy to recommend Greg and his high standard of professional work.
Private client
LondonSince 2005 Greg has treated various paintings in our collection. Some of the pictures were in relatively poor condition and required extensive treatments. Other paintings required only superficial treatments which were carried out on our premises. In all the cases, Greg was very easy to communicate with; he provided clear costed proposals, detailed treatment reports and complied with our institutional requirements. When working on site he was very easy going and accommodating. While I am not a conservator, I must say that we were all very satisfied with the standard of his work and I would recommend him to other collections.
Rachel Bairsto MA,
Head of Museum Services, British Dental Association MuseumTraining
MASTER OF ART CONSERVATION, FINE ART. QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY, KINGSTON, ONTARIO Professors Dr. James Hanlan, Henry Hodges, Ian Hodkinson, and Barbara Ramsay; lectures on conservation science, the conservation of artifacts, wall paintings, easel paintings and works of art on paper; studio work with easel paintings, paper, and microscopy.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE. UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, CONTINUING STUDIES and SAUDER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS EXECUTIVE EDUCATION An online course requiring 192 hours of effort. It had modules on all aspects of Project Management following the Project Management Institute (PMI) standards and guidelines.
Work History
I worked in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts as a paintings conservator. I was a substitute for a conservator on extended leave.
Private Practice. Based in London I began working as an assistant on wall painting projects run by other conservators in private practice. For the last twenty years I have managed wall painting projects on my own and with other conservators. I continue treating easel paintings and now treat small decorative arts and plaster sculptures. My training in Project Management has benefitted the business which though small carries on.
