Background, training and education
I have been a professional woodworker since 1975, beginning as an apprentice in the violin shop at Karnes Music in Elk Grove.
Under the tutelage of master craftsmen, I was classically trained in the fine art of violin making and restoration. An education that included a framework of historically accurate techniques, and an in-depth understanding of the nature of wood technology and traditional finishing materials.
In 1985 I took a position with one of the Midwest’s premier antique dealers, Caledonian Inc. in Winnetka. Advancing my knowledge, and skills while being bench trained by the craftsmen at Caledonian, I completed course work in the conservation of antiquities at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and The Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies. I ran the workshops until leaving to join the staff at..
Recent history:
Bernacki and Associates, Chicago, IL
Director of Conservation
The Workshop of Barrington, Barrington, IL
Director of Conservation and Furniture Design
Payne Street Imports, Evanston/High Point
Objects Conservator, Furniture Conservation and Design Consultant
Custom Woodworking Business, Vance Publishing
Design Portfolio Judge 1998 - 2015
Under the tutelage of master craftsmen, I was classically trained in the fine art of violin making and restoration. An education that included a framework of historically accurate techniques, and an in-depth understanding of the nature of wood technology and traditional finishing materials.
In 1985 I took a position with one of the Midwest’s premier antique dealers, Caledonian Inc. in Winnetka. Advancing my knowledge, and skills while being bench trained by the craftsmen at Caledonian, I completed course work in the conservation of antiquities at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and The Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies. I ran the workshops until leaving to join the staff at..
Recent history:
Bernacki and Associates, Chicago, IL
Director of Conservation
The Workshop of Barrington, Barrington, IL
Director of Conservation and Furniture Design
Payne Street Imports, Evanston/High Point
Objects Conservator, Furniture Conservation and Design Consultant
Custom Woodworking Business, Vance Publishing
Design Portfolio Judge 1998 - 2015
