Bickford Studios, 3592 NY State Highway 58 in Fowler is this year's Gouverneur Area Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. The honor will be presented to Wilson and Glenda Bickford at the Chamber Banquet on Wednesday, May 8 at the Gouverneur Elks Lodge No. 2035, 1419 U.S. Highway 11 in Gouverneur. The public is welcome to attend. There will be a social hour from 6 to 7 p.m. with the banquet following. Tickets are $23, and available at the Chamber office and local banks.
The Gouverneur Chamber of Commerce in announcing the honor said the following, “Congratulations to Wilson and Glenda Bickford, your talents have given you a business to be proud of and we admire how much your artistry has given back to our community!”
The duo of Wilson and Glenda Bickford have showcased their artistic talents under one roof ever since Bickford Studios opened to the public in October 2009. The studio displays both Wilson's paintings and Glenda's photographs.
North Country native, artist and author Wilson Bickford is well-known in the North Country for teaching art classes and painting scenes of the Adirondacks. He and wife Glenda have traveled widely, presenting workshops as far away as California, bringing his "Fast and Fun" painting techniques to communities across this country and Canada.
Wilson is an artist and art educator. He has perfected the art technique of "wet-on-wet" painting. This extremely popular painting style is easy to learn and yields fantastic results. Bickford has even shared his knowledge, work, and talent with the artistically-inclined viewers in WPBS-TV's broadcast community. His painting series can now be seen on CreateTV.
Wilson has numerous online painting tutorials and demonstrations available to anyone online. Painting With Wilson Bickford is a well-loved program on public television. His workshops, demonstrations and lessons have enriched budding artists and promoted art to those who never considered themselves an artist. This is the miracle of Wilson Bickford – his work has inspired personal creativity and the spread of art in the world.
North Country native Glenda Bickford has turned her long-time photography hobby into a thriving business, Glenda Bickford Photography. She is well-known in the local community for her exceptional skill at taking portraits of children, seniors and pets both in the studio and on location.
The entire Gouverneur community is encouraged to attend the Annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner on Wednesday, May 8 and help recognize Wilson and Glenda Bickford. For more information, call the Chamber office at (315) 287-0331.