BSO Decorator Show House 2015

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I'm so excited to finally share the work I did for Paula Henry of Simply Put Interior's Dining Room at this year's BSO Decorator Show House! The house was located in the Guilford neighborhood of Baltimore City.

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Paula and I wanted to do something unexpected and so we decided on a unique watercolor design. I painted the design by hand and with the help of Jeff Salava of Archival Arts and Matt Richardson of Indigo Ink, brought the design to life. The colors were inspired by a fabric as well as the beautiful sideboard. Paula wanted a fresh and bright look to bring this room into the 21st century. The room before:

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I am excited about this new avenue and hope to offer bespoke wallcoverings in the near future! Here are some more photos. Let me know what you think in the comments!!

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The Faux Team Class Recap

We had a BLAST this past weekend at the studio! Henri Menendez and Chris Burke, aka the "Faux Team" hit it hard with their expertise on cabinet refinishing and faux finishing work. We learned about how to apply professional finishes to cabinetry and furniture and Firenze Plasters. A lot of knowledge was shared and students came all the way from Upstate New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina....and TAIWAN!! Thanks to everyone for making it out, I hope you enjoyed Ellicott City and can't wait to come back! To find out about upcoming classes, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

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faux team group class

Studio Party Recap and Small Miracles Donation

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In case you missed it, a few weeks ago I made the decision that I needed a party. The reasons were numerous; winter needs to end, Cunningham Studios is officially up and running, and my Mom's birthday was on the 27th. In her honor I decided to donate 5% of any job or sale made during the month of March to her favorite charity, Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue in Ellicott City MD. Mom loved to volunteer at the shelter and often would foster kittens that needed extra care before being adopted. Two of those kittens became ours.

Mom with her boy, Leo.

Our two furbabies, Ray Ray and Sancho Pancho.

Despite the frigid temperatures, several friends, clients, colleagues, and family came out to party with me and I couldn't have been happier. I announced that as of the 28th I would be able to donate $1200 to Small Miracles. That may go up as there are a few more contributions in the mail. I'm sure mom would be thrilled.  A huge Thank You to everyone who came out to celebrate with me this past Saturday!

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Studio Party

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Thank you to Paula and April for taking pictures, I completely forgot!!

Parasites, Paint, and Friendship...oh my!

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Its all finished!

A few weeks ago Stacey and I, with the help of our amazing paper hanger Shelly Wilkins of Walls Etc., installed the final panel of the BRI mural. If you missed the progress, read about it here.

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We started the project back in October and little did I know how good it would be for my healing. Stacey is a very unique person. She is wise beyond her years, extremely talented, patient, and persistent. In her words it was "bashert" destined, predetermined, meant to be. This project landed at the perfect time. She was supposed to get a different project, slated to start earlier but that one fell through. This one came along and Stacey needed help and a place to work on this large piece.

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A month after my mom's passing we began the mural. The days were filled with painting and discussions about so many things like death, religion, spirituality, relationships, food, travel and love. It was great to just show up and paint and not worry about clients and business things. We also learned new techniques from each other. I taught her how to glaze and she taught me how to see beyond the reference material. Stacey also met my studio neighbors and commented on what a great place the West End is, how we check in on each other and help one another with things. I think she would move in if she could!

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The mural itself is spectacular. It shows the people affected by the debilitating parasitic disease Shistosomiasis. The mural depicts a family doing their daily chores of washing and filling bottles of water at a local pond. Stacey meticulously illustrates how the disease infiltrates the body and its devastating consequences if left untreated. The second half of the mural (executed first) shows the work being done by BRI in facilitating a mechanism for a vaccine through the doors of the "hut" and lastly the people walking away, immune now from Shistosomiasis.

Here are some more images of areas I painted.

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I was so happy to see this work installed and ready to move on to the next project but also a bit sad that our daily talks would come to an end. Stacey's next project is working on her son Jonah's Bar-Mitzvah and my next project involves glass, paint, and metal leaf. We will have to have regular lunch dates in order alleviate our withdrawal symptoms.

Stay tuned!

Getting Back My Mojo

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As promised, I am posting some shots of the progress on my first "for-me" painting. I'm really excited an have gotten some good feedback on Facebook and in person.

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Here it is today. Still have a bit to go, haven't touched the foreground yet. The lower portion of the window and the chairs are still incomplete.  Moving along though and it feels great. I'm tossing around a few ideas on a name but am open to suggestions. Thoughts?

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Also, in the studio, my good friend and fellow artist Stacey Olson Sachs has me working on one of her commissions. We are learning a lot from one another. I helped achieve the effect for the background using a parchment type glazing treatment as well as the map and gradation of the blue sky that fades out. In exchange, I am learning to "see" more than what actually in a reference photo. I am earning my Artistic License!

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I will be helping install this first half coming up on Friday. There will be a second part to this leading in from the left that will tell the story of people in West Africa contracting the parasitic disease known as Shistosomiasis.  Biomedical Research Institute does research for this disease and harvests affected snails (part of its life cycle) which they supply to other researchers for drug development. Vaccine development is what they're aiming for in their future. It will be installed in their lobby. Stacey has a background in Medical Illustration and so this is right up her alley.

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Its been the perfect way to get back into working again, we have lots to talk about including work, philosophy, and family! And the best part is all I have to do is show up and paint! Stay tuned for photos of the installation. Follow on facebook too!