All That Glisters Is White Gold

A new exhibition by master gilder Carol Leskanic, seems at home in the white and beige, elegant and discreet gallery at Darren Winston, Bookseller, in Sharon. Her layers of gold leaf, both white and yellow, cover surprising objects — some natural, some man-made — and are burnished to a soft, gentle patina. This is not the intense yellow gilding of antique picture frames this is an ancient technique updated to deliver a modern aesthetic of minimalist elegance. Some pieces are at first disturbing: Dwarf seahorse skeletons and a horseshoe crab carapace are encased in white gold like mummies, their intricate structures preserved and highlighted by the metallic coating. (Even the underside of the crab is painted in metallic but pale yellow to show the raised web of ridges.) Small animal skulls are gilded yellow, which somehow emphasizes the empty eye sockets. Not so disturbing are antlers, both large and small, and a splendid antler chandelier in white gold. Leskanic’s decorative accessories and furniture can be especially good. Two lamps made from rounded pieces of tree trunk glow beneath white shades; a lamp with a crackle finish begs attention. A wonderful set of three nesting tables — the frames, metal, and the tops specially fitted wood — are surprising in their combination of oil and water gilding. And then there is the chair: A big block of cedar has been shaped with a downward slanting front and gouged out to make a perfectly concave hemisphere, which Leskanic has gilded in 12-karat white gold. It is so one-of-a-kind that you are stopped in your tracks, intrigued and charmed by both the surprise and the humor. At the front of the store are some of Leskanic’s art panels: squares of wood covered in many layers of gesso to build up a surface on which she has created reliefs of marine creatures — mostly small and invertebrate — based on illustrations from the work of famed 19th-century German biologist, Ernst Haeckel. These meticulously executed white-on-white panels emphasize both the geometrical and yet nearly abstract aspects of nature. They look especially good grouped together. Gilding is a complicated technique. While flaws may be hidden in the baroque splendor of many antique frames, Leskanic’s pieces have mostly simple, exposed forms that require balance of coverage, color and, finally, patina. While they may not represent “art” as we expect it, they are examples of high artistry and a refined decorative sensibility. This is an intriguing show. “Adaption: The Art and Gilded Designs of Carol Leskanic” runs through July 10 at Darren Winston, Bookseller, 81 Main St., in Sharon. A reception is scheduled for June 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. For information, call 860 364-1890.