BLAISE GASTON was born in England in 1953 and grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia. He started building as a young boy and had his first formal woodworking lessons at 9. He attend The School for American Crafts in Rochester New York and graduated with a BFA in 1975. While he was there he was able to learn from, and work with incredible craftsmen such as Bill Keyser, Jere Osgood, Jim Krenov, Jon Brooks, Ian Kirby, and Doug Sigler. In 1977 Blaise started a small company making custom furniture and in 1979 he combined shops with some friends and started “Gaston and Wyatt” which became the preeminent Virginia firm in the field of architectural woodworking and custom furniture. Clients throughout the United States included projects at Monticello, Montpelier, Ash Lawn, and University of Virginia Rotunda, as well as many private homes and businesses. In 1992 he sold his half of the company to start building art furniture and unique cabinetwork. From 2003 to 2009 Blaise worked on the restoration of Montpelier, the home of James Madison; a fascinating project restoring the house back to the way it was in the early 1800’s.