“Throughout history, whether it be the paint trade or the stone mason’s trade or the carpentry trade, good craftsmen always put their mark on a work.”  
—John Canning, decorative painter

One of the final steps for an artisan working on a preservation project is leaving their mark. This mark identifies the craftsperson who spent countless hours investigating the history of a building, carefully choosing which techniques to employ, and skillfully treating aged surfaces until the structure has regained its original character and decorative details. This mark is always small and tucked away in a place where visitors to a restored building cannot find it.

Master decorative painter John Canning’s mark is a small signature, usually near the ceiling of a freshly restored interior. “No one else would ever see it except the tradesman,” he notes. “It’s not meant to be seen.”

The desire to leave one's mark reflects a sense of accomplishment and achievement in a job well done.

“It’s a matter of pride,” Canning says.

In the early 1970s, Canning immigrated with his family to the United States from Glasgow, Scotland, where he had completed rigorous training and education in the applied decorative arts as a church decorator. The methods he learned and eventually mastered through his apprenticeship had already been passed down through several generations of tradesmen. “I like to say I have an accumulated experience of one hundred years,” he says.

His knowledge and skill in replicating old-world techniques prepared him to immerse himself in the American historic preservation movement. He founded his own decorative painting company in 1976, John Canning & Co. (formerly John Canning Ornamental Painters and Church Decorators), and over the years has contributed to the preservation of some of the United States’ most significant public buildings, including the Connecticut State Capitol, Grand Central Terminal, the U.S. Treasury Building, and Radio City Music Hall, among many others.

Canning has passed his skills, knowledge, and guiding values to his daughter, Jacqueline Canning Riccio; his son-in-law, David Riccio; and two of his granddaughters, Isabella and Zoe Riccio, who are all dedicated artisans working at John Canning & Co. They help preserve John’s vision and legacy and ensure that at the core of John Canning & Co.’s work is a deep respect for the traditions and craftspeople of the past and a commitment to faithfully preserving their artistry. The family shared their artistry at the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival as part of the Next Generation Artisans in the Traditional Building Trades program.

“What is interesting about what we do is telling the story of this country and telling the story of the talented generations who came before us,” Isabella says.

For John and his family, honoring buildings of the past means making sure that their historical and visual impact will be preserved for future generations to learn from and admire. They believe that restoration practices should be rooted in deep respect and understanding of not only a building’s decoration but also the goals and processes of the craftspeople whose work is being restored.

“It’s so important to understand the original methods of execution,” John emphasizes. “It’s important to be able to recognize and respect them, and also the materials... It’s important to understand all of these things before we start to even put our hands on it.”

To fulfill their mission, the work of the craftspeople at John Canning & Co. extends beyond implementing architectural decoration and finishes. John notes that while working on historic buildings, “one becomes an amateur historian.” To successfully emulate the original craftsmanship, decorative painters must begin each preservation project by conducting thorough research on the building they are restoring.

“It’s like being an archaeologist,” John says, “pulling away layers of paint and discovering the original decoration and the wonderful craftsmanship of the past and then trying to replicate that.”

Zoe echoes her grandfather’s sentiment: “It’s almost like a treasure hunt. You have to search for answers.”

For many of the Cannings’ restoration projects, the research is complicated by limited information. Without measurements or a record of original colors, they may have to work from as little as one black-and-white photograph. However, equipped with a plethora of specialized skills, tools, and knowledge, they are prepared to meet this challenge.

For historic paint restoration projects, they must perform exposures, which involve carefully peeling through paint and grime, layer by layer, until they reach the damaged or hidden decorations that they need to refurbish. Once they have uncovered the decorative elements, the team examines the samples, using tools like microscopes to determine the exact sheen and color of the original paint.

This scientific investigation is complemented by historical research. For a project restoring the Belmont Chapel in Newport, Rhode Island, Zoe spent an entire day scouring through books in the library searching for the patterns initially used in the chapel. “It was just so fun,” she says. “And uncovering this history was a very cool thing to do.”

While painstaking and complex, the research and analysis components of restoration projects allow the craftspeople of John Canning & Co. to conserve the work and stories of artisans of the past.

“This work is demanding, but it is incredibly rewarding to see your work in these beautiful buildings and to know that you had a hand in returning these historic interiors to the original masterpieces that they are,” Jacqueline says.

“People will never know your name,” Isabella reflects. “But they will see the work of your hands, and your patience, and your attention to detail.”

Devoted and enthusiastic next generation artisans like Isabella and Zoe Riccio represent a promising future not only for John Canning & Co. but also for the field of historic preservation and restoration. With their commitment to honoring and upholding the craftsmanship and intention behind meaningful spaces, they are poised to make a powerful difference by ensuring the integrity of historic buildings and the stories and meanings they hold. As long as their ethos and craft traditions continue to be passed down, the work of the past will be able to speak for itself for many generations to come.

Peyton Hoffman is a program intern at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and a rising junior at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture.

The Next Generation Artisans in the Traditional Building Trades program received generous support from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the 1772 Foundation, and the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee and the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. This program received Federal support from the American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. In-kind support was provided by the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center.