William Fegan

When I first went into business as an art restorer after college, business was slow. I was not well known or had any reputation (good or bad) of one that had the skill to be trusted with ones’ art objects. In order to make ends meet, I took on the most challenging jobs. These were items that in most cases had nominal intrinsic value or items that the customers were unwilling to spend a lot on. These were the years that forced me to take on the humble tasks that later proved invaluable.  These years stretched my understanding regarding everything from the cleaning process of  period and contemporary paintings to replacing missing parts on objects to restoring antique furniture. It would be impossible for me to have or claim expertise in all these disciplines, but I have been lucky in finding the right people at the right time to help with the never ending stream of  trash and treasure that enter our doors every day. When clients look for someone to take on a seemingly difficult or impossible task they contact us. There are times when we have to tell a customer that there is nothing we can do, that the piece is not salvageable or the cost is too prohibitive to justify the investment, but I hate those times, there is something in me that wants to make things whole and right again. I have a feeling that we all hate those times, especially when it’s personal.