What is studio play?

To me, studio play is when I get to experiment and discover new ways to use products and processes. I will usually collect inspiration images either from social media, magazines, different products I would like to try, wallpapers, fabrics, or even nature. Inspiration could really take the form of anything that triggers an idea.

How often do you get a chance to experiment in your studio?

As a decorative artist in Baltimore County, it can be hard to dedicate time to just play in the studio. Work, travel, and other commitments can take up that valuable time. But despite that, I know that it is crucial to my creativity to set aside time to just experiment.

Usually, I can get a few days here and there, sometimes between projects. I have to dedicate time to play because I am too exhausted after my workday is done.

Unlike the stereotypical artist, I don’t stay up till 4am. My most creative and productive time is during the morning, after a workout and a few cups of coffee. When I get an “aha” moment it’s usually when I am doing something else so I have to jot the idea down and remember to make time to try it out.

I will often get the creative bug biting me while on another project, and conversely, ideas will pop into my brain while driving, riding my bike, or hiking. Those are the times my mind can wander.

One idea can trigger another and all of a sudden you have 5-6 ideas going at once, but it’s necessary in order to keep the flow going. Many times I will have several boards in various stages as I skip around and work on them. The studio can get pretty chaotic and messy

What is your process like when you’re playing around with new techniques?

Typically I will start by cleaning up my studio and putting every last thing away. I have to have a clean slate in order to begin because it enables my mind to focus better.

I prepare about a half dozen or so sample boards and some smaller scrap boards to have as test panels. I pull products off the shelves and have my inspiration items pinned up on the walls. I also have a notebook where I jot down all of my steps and put swatches of colors so I can remember what I did. I will have two or three boards going, maybe prepping more as more ideas are popping up. I’ll analyze the finishes as I go, making adjustments or scrapping ideas for others. By the time I’m really going, it looks like my third-grade art teacher’s room; there’s paint, trays, brushes, water buckets, rags, stuff sitting out drying, samples in process, the hairdryer’s going…it’s absolute chaos.

How does it make you feel? Have you ever discovered something that you were really excited about? How often do these experiments not pan out?

When I am in the middle of one of my play days I can forget to eat I get so into it - it’s exciting and I feel productive.

I am lucky to have my studio at my house so I can pop back and forth between coats of paint to either answer an email, grab a snack, or put the laundry in the dryer. The best part is when I get up in the morning and get to see how some of the finishes turned out that had been drying overnight. (As I write this, I have to pause to run out to the studio to put a layer on a sample.)

I’ve had some ideas turn out better than I had expected and I’ve also had some ideas completely fail. That doesn’t feel very good and if I let it get to me, it can ruin my mood. However, I can be pretty stubborn and I will mull over my idea and rework a problem until I have it figured out. Sometimes the hardest part is knowing when to quit. (I inherited that trait from my dad.)

Have you ever made a “happy accident”?

Yes! I had been experimenting with glass bead gel and I wanted to see if I could layer a stencil behind it. I wasn’t sure if the gel would allow the design to be visible. I pulled the tape and hung it on the rack to dry. When I came in it was so perfect, better than I could have imagined.

I created a variation of that technique for the Golden Paintworks’ Limited Edition Series called “Abiquiu.” I had the idea to create a finish inspired by my memory of spending a few days in the early spring of 2017 at the Ghost Ranch in Abquiquiu, New Mexico. During my stay, we had a spring snowstorm. The warmth of the ranch and its many layers of western and indigenous motifs created a cocoon where we sheltered from the biting damp spring snow outside on the plains and bluffs. The stencil I designed pulls from the western motifs and the glass bead gel is reminiscent of the snow that fell

Can you elaborate on a few times when you’ve experimented? What techniques did you use? Can you share some examples of some of the work that you’ve done in the studio?

A few years ago when I was rebuilding my business as Lenehan Studios, I wanted to create a new group of sample finishes. Of course I was inspired by fellow decorative artists that I follow on social media. One of my friends, Jeff Huckaby, was so generous to show me how he created some of his finishes. That’s one of the things I love about this industry - you can find artists who are willing to share and that helps everyone, including the person sharing. None of us arrived here all by ourselves, and if we can share ideas it only begets more creativity.

I was out in Scottsdale for a conference and had the chance to have dinner with Jeff. We talked about the industry, our experimentation with different products, and how we find inspiration from different places. When I got home I tried out a few of his techniques but changed a few things up based on what products I had on hand and also to make the finishes my own.

Some of my experimentation has failed miserably. I can have a great finish and then decide to add one more layer and completely ruin it. I did that with one sample where I added a wax that I had used mica powder mixed in. I didn’t realize that I put too much mica powder in and it obliterated the previous colors. I tried to replicate it but it just wasn’t the same. But that turned out to be a good lesson too. When I present these sample boards to clients I remind them that they are merely suggestions and that each finish is hand mixed and applied and can vary from the original sample board.

What advice do you have for others who want to start experimenting?

When I first started my journey as a decorative artist in Baltimore County (way back in 2004) I took a class at a local faux painting studio that taught techniques using strictly one particular brand of faux finishing products. I didn’t realize that you could essentially mix them with other similar materials, or even create similar products with things you could find at the hardware store.

The point is, don’t limit yourself to thinking you have to use “artist” products. Use tile grout! Caulk! Sand! Fabric dye! Martha Stuart glitter! Happy accidents can happen when you take the restrictions off and just play. This is a necessary practice to have because it will come in handy if you are presented with a request to create a finish based on something totally unrelated to any product or class you’ve taken.

Oftentimes I am asked by clients and interior designers to create a finish inspired by something other than a sample I have in my portfolio. It could be a texture found in nature, a wallpaper sample, or they’re looking for a certain vibe but they just don’t know what. It’s my job as an artist to be able to create that perfect finish that will sing in their space.

The Lenehan Studios “Finish Challenge LIVE”: Monday, April 11th at 7pm on Instagram

For those of you who are interested, I have started a “Finish Challenge” series where I take inspiration items and create finishes based on them. I will be launching a Finish Challenge Live on Instagram, every month on the second Monday of the month. I will demonstrate a finish and get a chance to talk and answer questions from viewers.

If you are interested in watching and perhaps even creating your own finish along with me, make sure you subscribe (below) to our newsletter and follow us on both Instagram and Facebook.

If you have a Finish Challenge for me, send it my way and I may use it to create a finish live!

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