M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 3 23 Though Mike has painted hundreds of homes throughout the Napa Valley, the projects that come with history bring him the most joy. “I got bored painting white walls, and learned how to faux paint and work with wood finishes,” he said. “That opened my horizons to be able to color match and work with more decorative details that come with older homes.” The detail-oriented painter has completely restored over forty-eight Victorians in the Valley and has contributed or maintains many more, as well as several iconic buildings such as the newly renovated Fagiani Building and Bounty Hunter. “Mark Pope lets me be creative at the Bounty Hunter,” said Mike, who maintained the exquisite wood finish at the popular eatery for ten years. “I did all the wood finish on the Fagiani Building.” As we continue to drive through Downtown, Mike proudly proclaims that most of the Victorians in the area he has put his finishing touches on. Then we pull up to the corner of Jefferson and First Street and he asks me to jump out. We walk up to the York House, now home to attorneys and professionals. He points out his signature above the door. “I finish off all my projects with gold leaf somewhere, with a fox-hair brush,” smiled Mike. “It adds more pop to the house.” It became a game at each home we stopped at to find the gold leaf. Some are a subtle ball on the banister and others are more obvious, like the splash above the York House. The house he is most proud of is the J.L. Brown House on the corner of Main and Vallejo. We pull up to the hidden jewel behind the maturing palm trees. “This was a very detailed project,” said Gibson. “We polished every screw. I go overboard because I am a perfectionist.” Nancy Levenberg concurs on Mike’s attention to detail. “Partners in Painting, owned by Mike Gibson, has assisted us in the restoration, repair, and preservation of the iconic Goodman Library, home to the Napa County Historical Society and Napa County Landmarks,” according to Levenberg, Executive Director. “I can’t say enough about Mike’s passion for this work and attention to detail.” Since April 2011, Mike and his crew of painters have helped to clean, sand, and repaint the exterior windows, door trim, and pillars in front of the building. He has patched and repainted the interior hallway and Museum Room. In 2012, Mike began the long process of completely stripping, staining, and repairing the two sets of front doors on the building. Mike said when picking out colors it’s 50/50 between him and the homeowner. “Some clients have a decorator who picks the colors,” he said. “Other times the client asks me to assist in the color selection. I look at the surrounding neighborhood and find a color that is different, but complementary.” Mike said he also uses eco-friendly paint whenever possible to be healthier indoors. “I started using paint that wouldn’t harm my clients fifteen years before it was the ‘green thing’ to do,” he added. Relationship building is crucial for Mike and his crew. “I follow up with a Customer Maintenance Program to maintain what I’ve done and to help preserve my client’s investment and the integrity of the structure.” So if you are driving by a home in Downtown Napa and see gold leaf somewhere on the exterior, there is a good chance that Mike Gibson’s handicraft was involved. To see more samples of Mike’s work go to www.partnersinpainting.com. Mike Gibson The Napa County Hist orical Society now offers history booklets for sale for houses, businesses, and people. These comprehensive histories include full-color scans of photographs, maps, blueprints, advertisements from city directories, and other resources in our collection. The booklet covers the history of Napa and the specific neighborhood, architecture, biographies of important and influential residents, and a detailed list of occupants. The booklet is professionally printed and bound. For more information contact the Research Librarian at 224.1739 or alex@ napahistory.org. They have more than 15,000 historic photographs in their collection in addition to original blueprints and maps. Fagiani’s This photo by Art & Clarity Home & Garden
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