Part Two —> Here’s Part One.
When did you start your business?
In the mid-eighties, Patrick moved to the East End of Long Island from Minneapolis after completing an MFA program at the University of Minnesota. There was a thriving art community in the Hamptons and many of the aging New York School painters were still living and working in the area.
Photo by Sandy Agrafiotis
What started as a simple house painting business to make ends meet while he worked on his art, evolved as his carpentry skills developed. While working on many antique homes he became familiar and schooled in the nuts and bolts of old buildings.
Following an early interest in photography, I pursued a degree in photojournalism from Syracuse University with a minor in art history. During my university experience I studied and traveled for a year in Europe.
After graduation I criss-crossed the United States several times, working in the photography field, on both coasts; spending time in San Francisco and New York City. After a stint at a SoHo fine art photo gallery, I found my way to Sag Harbor. It was not long after Patrick and I met that we became a team.
How has Maine been for your business?
While we still do painting and carpentry, we now specialize in kitchens and baths custom built to fit seamlessly into antique or new homes. We recently created a furniture line, Tradition of the New that we promote online to reach out to a larger Maine and beyond.
A recent kitchen renovation will be featured in the April issue of Down East magazine.
Any good house/client stories?
The first job we worked on together was a tiny kitchen renovation in the Sag Harbor home of mystery writer and friend, Harriet La Barre. She often writes under the pen name, Dicey Deere. Harriet was an associate editor for twenty years for Cosmopolitan Magazine, making her one of the original Cosmo Girls.
Her home, a simple New England cape built about 1790, was once the residence of a whaling captain, Captain Henry Green. Green played a notable role in the1839 Amistad incident depicted in the1997 Steven Spielberg movie.
A recent story I wrote about on my blog, was a kitchen renovation, in an Eastport cape, where we discovered that one of the early owners of our client’s home was George Burnham. He left his signature on a beam.
A little internet digging revealed a largely forgotten local fact; Burnham was the founding father of the American sardine industry. Though he never got this business off the ground in Eastport, he would have more success with another in Portland.
He teamed up with Charles Morrill in 1867, to form a canning business known as Burnham & Morrill. One of the company’s products is still on grocery shelves today - B&M baked beans.
What’s the part of your job that you like most?
Working together.
What do you think about Maine architecture?
We enjoy long rides and discovering the old homes along the way – from capes in the midst of sprawling farmsteads to stately Federals; red brick downtowns, cottages in fishing villages and cozy camps that dot the lakes.
A frequent stop is Columbia Falls and its crowning jewel, the 1818 Ruggles House with its fabulous “flying” staircase.
What is your favorite season here?
That’s hard to say; each has its own magic. Right now everything is gorgeously coated with snow, but we’re not winter sports people. When we’re not out and about or working on a project, we’re busy in our studios.
I would have to say the spring, summer and fall are my favorite seasons – witnessing the fields surrounding our house go through their cycle. It starts with what looks like a giant lawn which quickly gives way to a rising variety of grasses.
Lupines soon sprout, followed by an assortment of wildflowers like indian paintbrush, daisies and buttercups with a finale of goldenrod. After the goldfinches head back south, it’s time for September mowing.
Do you have any secret places you like to visit?
I don’t really want to let the secret out, but Reversing Falls in Pembroke would be at the top of the list. It’s off the beaten path. When there is no one else there, it feels like you’re in absolute wilderness; just you, the harbor seals, bald eagles and a mesmerizing torrent of water.
The power is impressive, but if you show up at the wrong time everything is quiet. The tide water rises up to 21 feet every 6 hours. We like to go on Saturdays, stopping at Cinqueterre Farm Bakery on the way, to nab a fresh delicious baguette or croissant for a picnic.
To be continued, one more time . . .
