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  • Greg Drinkwine Studio

    Monthly Newsletter — February 2026

     

     

    A Note from Greg

    Hello and welcome — I want to begin by thanking you for your interest in my work and for being part of this new chapter in the life of my studio.

     

    For over 30 years, I’ve devoted myself to the craft of gilding — working almost exclusively with genuine gold leaf and traditional water gilding techniques. What began as a technical apprenticeship has grown into a lifelong pursuit of light, form, and ornament. My frames are not merely decorative borders; they are sculptural objects of architecture, reflection, and presence.

     

    In recent years, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with an extraordinary team of designers, artists, and engineers based in Boston, Massachusetts. Together, we are creating a new line of gilded picture frames that challenges the conventional boundaries of frame-making. This partnership blends my deep grounding in traditional handwork with technical expertise in design innovation — from pattern generation to digital carving and prototyping.

     

    Our role model in this pursuit has been Leonardo da Vinci — someone who fused artistic intuition with fearless experimentation and mechanical invention to craft works that were not only beautiful, but conceptually revolutionary. In that spirit, our frames are more than handcrafted objects; they are orchestrated compositions where ornament, proportion, technology, and vision meet.

     

    Whether reimagining the pierced forms of Stanford White or exploring sacred geometry from the Alhambra, we’re working to honor tradition while pushing it forward. Each piece that leaves our hands is not just gilded — it’s a statement about what gilding can still become.

     

    Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’m deeply grateful for your interest, and I look forward to sharing more of our work with you in the months to come.

     

    Warmly,
    Greg
    Greg Drinkwine Studio

     

    Spotlight: The Alhambra Collection

     

    Among the most meaningful developments in my studio practice has been the creation of a new body of gilded frames inspired by the architectural and ornamental legacy of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. These works draw from the complex geometric structures, rhythmic vegetal motifs, and flowing Arabic calligraphy that define the aesthetic of Islamic art at its highest expression. The Alhambra's surfaces are more than decoration — they are visual philosophies carved into plaster and stone, designed to evoke harmony, unity, and infinite continuity. In translating this language into gilded wood, our goal has been to honor both the mathematical precision and spiritual elegance embedded in these historical forms.

     

    These frames represent a synthesis of sacred geometry and craft, and I look forward to exploring their symbolism, design evolution, and construction process in greater depth in future issues of this newsletter.

     

     

    Studio Feature: Stanford White Reimagined

     


     

     

    For over a century, the gilded frames designed by architect Stanford White have represented a pinnacle in American decorative arts — especially his pierced and architectural frame forms. These frames were never mere ornament; they embodied a cohesive language of structure, light, and surface, bringing together the disciplines of architecture, sculpture, and design in a single object. At their best, White’s frames created a rhythmic, perforated interplay between solid wood and surrounding space, commanding attention even before the artwork they held.

     

    At Greg Drinkwine Studio, we’ve embraced this lineage with both reverence and innovation. Our reinterpretation of Stanford White’s designs centers on reimagining the pierced frame not just in rectangular form, but as ovals and rounds — something White himself never attempted. Working with custom profiles,  precise pattern translation and digital modeling and prototyping, we’ve extended his visual language into sculptural forms that catch and reflect light from every angle. These new pierced frames are not reproductions but evolutions: technically sophisticated, historically rooted, and designed to exist as luminous objects of architecture and contemplation.

     

    Through these works, we continue a conversation that White began — one that insists that the frame can be as intellectually and materially rich as the art it surrounds. With each pierced frame, we’re carrying that idea forward, into new geometries and new generations.

     

    Thank you again for spending time with this issue of the Greg Drinkwine Studio newsletter. In the months ahead, I’ll be sharing deeper insights into the design language behind our new collections, the tools and techniques that guide our studio practice, and the collaborative spirit that drives this evolving work. From historical influences to technical innovations, each issue will offer a window into the philosophy and process behind the gilded frames we create. I’m excited to continue this dialogue with you — and I look forward to what we’ll build, reflect on, and explore together.