The fact Stephanie and Samantha Iannacchino have made a career out of working with wood shouldn’t be all that surprising: After all, the Niagara Falls sisters grew up watching their dad Sam doing the same thing with the picture-framing business he still runs.
But instead of using new wood to make frames, the siblings make a point of repurposing old wood that would otherwise likely end up in a landfill and turning it into eye-catching, original art.
Their latest venture involves reclaiming wood from the historic Avila Hall at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls and painstakingly turning it into art that will live on on people’s walls for generations to come.
The sisters, whose company is called Lumberchino, actually operate out of the shop they hung around in as kids, watching their dad work.
Stephanie said she and Samantha wanted to create art from wood for their own bedroom walls. “(But) we had no woodworking experience at the time,” she said. “So we looped in our dad; he’s so handy we knew he’d be able to do it.”
The finished mosaic artwork caught the attention of friends and family, so the sisters started using reclaimed frames their dad had, stripping down the wood to make their first pieces of art.
“When we first started our business model we had to decide to use new wood or reclaimed wood,” said Stephanie. “We decided to keep going down that (reclaimed wood) route and finding as much wood as we could.”
Then a few months ago, Samantha said a friend of hers, whose dad owns a local construction and demolition company, called to ask if she was interested in old wood from the Avila Hall demolition project at Mount Carmel.
The Mount Carmel Monastery applied to the city to demolish the 83-year-old building on Stanley Avenue. Although it has a rich religious history, the monastery board told the city the building’s condition had deteriorated badly and would have required millions of dollars to bring it up to proper standards.
“I said ‘for sure we would’ ” want the wood, said Samantha. “Stephanie and I put on our hard hats and grabbed our crowbars and went to the construction site and started taking floors and walls apart. We brought it back to our shop and started working on it.”
Working with old wood is no easy task, said Samantha.
“It’s very time-consuming, from going to get the wood, to yanking out all the nails, to planing it down, to painting and staining,” said Samantha. “Then we have to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.”
But it’s worth the effort, she said.
“The wood is really old and super dry so it gives the pieces a lot of character.”
The sisters created four pieces of art so far from Avila, but have more wood to keep on making pieces. They plan to donate a portion of the proceeds from sale of the art pieces to Mount Carmel.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
