On a Mission

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Yesterday I was privileged to speak at the monthly meeting of the WCAA; the Window Covering Association of America, a group of designers and window covering artists; about the subject of how finishing can solve design challenges. It is part of my campaign to rid the world of the negative perception of faux finishing. (If you read my article about how "Faux is Dead" then you know that Faux is actually alive and well.  And from now on "Faux" will not be synonymous with "bleh.") After I discussed how to enhance architectural features and make the unwanted things disappear ...     

How to create the illusion of more space...

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And how to be green by saving and repurposing what you have;

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I gave a demonstration on how to create the look of wood.  I talked about different basecoat colors (which often freak out the clients!) and the various layers and tools used to achieve the final effect.

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Members got in on the action..

Kris Ozgar and Me at WCAA

Hopefully the next time they're faced with a design challenge they will give faux a try. We had a blast and I hope to be invited back again.

Thank You!

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Thank you to everyone who made it out to Budeke's last night to check out Golden's Proceed(c) line of decorative finishing products. We had a great turn out of about 20 or so people.  Lori Wilson and Pamela Hernandez ;) made the 6 hour trek from New Berlin, New York for the Open House hosted at the Timonium store.

A little history...When I went to college at Towson, it was recommended by my painting teacher to buy Golden's Retarder. I thought he was being insensitive but in fact "retarder" is meant to slow the dry time of acrylic paints which dry incredibly fast.  So fast that if you are blending some brush strokes, the next time you visit your palette the little mix you made has dried to a crisp film.  Then you are doomed to have to mix the EXACT COLOR again.  UGGH! (FYI: They name all of their products in English so there is no confusion on what they're designed to do.)

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Fast forward to my foray into decorative painting. I had heard about Golden's new line of Proceed Decorative Painting System Products and found that they make slow drying acrylics. WOO HOO! Now when Im painting large expanses of spaces I don't have to deal with heart palpitations when Im trying to blend colors. BUT I have to mail order everything.  Bummer!

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Then I met Lori at a class in Connecticut at Creative Evolution Studios. We chatted and struck up a friendship.  She invited me up to the Golden Factory and I took her up on it. And as they say the rest is history.

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I approached Bryan to see if he would be interested in carrying Proceed so that I have a place locally to find great products right off the shelf. We are hoping to have a workshop in the near future for decorative artists who are interested in exploring the Proceed line and how it can be incorporated into their repertoire. If you are looking for more information on what Proceed is and how it works,  check out their "Proceedepedia" site that shows formulas, faq's, and video tutorials.

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A BIG thanks to Bryan Koerber, his wife, the staff at Budeke's, Lori Wilson, Pamela Hernandez, Howard Thaller, and everyone else who made this event happen.  Please let me know if you have any questions or interest in knowing more about future events with Golden's Proceed Decorative Painting System at Budeke's.

Disclaimer: I am not paid by Golden OR Budeke's.  I just like good paint.

The Big Three

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Just finished up some doors for a little boy's room.  The client wanted the doors to look like lockers with their favorite teams featured in each one. No convincing them of going with Baltimore Teams. They were awesome clients so I had to forgive them.

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Thanks to Lisa Bower of Madella's Decor for the referral!

Also, DON'T FORGET!! Budeke's Timonium is having a faux event this coming Thursday!! Please make sure you RSVP by TOMORROW!! Hope to see you there!

Faux Event at Budekes Timonium!

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Designers! Homeowners! Fellow Finishers! You're Invited! Be Sure to RSVP!

Come see the latest in finishes for your client's home or yours! View products that allow for endless creativity and design.  See and play with the raw materials and view samples made with Proceed © that are on the cutting edge of design trends!

Evening to Include:

• Catalogs, product swatches and color charts

• An introduction to Proceed's © brand new Extra Rough Glass Bead Texture

• Plenty of finish boards and the Proceed © Wikipedia (their online 24/7 available resource)

when: Thursday, February 23rd, 6 pm - 7:30 pm

where: Budeke's Timonium 9484 Deereco Rd Timonium MD 21093

RSVP by February 20, 2012:contact@budekes.com or 410-560-1230

light refreshments will be served

Faux Finishing is Dead.

What do you think of when you hear the word “FAUX?” Does it give you thoughts of your friend “fauxing” her living room with a sponge and some pukey yellow paint? Does it remind you of that crusty brown “Tuscan Old World” mess on your neighbor’s wall?

How about if I told you that “faux” in today’s interior design is alive and well if you know where to look.

Since being in this business I have had people say to me “Oh, faux? My sister used to do that. Isn’t it called ragging?” or “I don’t like faux, its so passé.”  Then I get to show them my samples and they say “That’s faux?!  It looks like _____!” (Insert something like leather, wood, marble, fabric, etc.) Unfortunately many people I’ve met associate the term faux with ragging or sponging which are in fact foundation techniques that are used to create more complex finishes but have become synonymous with dated d-i-y walls. They are unaware of the magic a trained and experienced decorative painter is capable of with a can of paint and a few creative flips of the brush.

At last year’s BSA Decorator’s Showhouse in Baltimore, I had the pleasure of working with Paula Henry of Simply Put Interiors on the “Suite Retreat” master bedroom.  (This year's is in the works!) She and I came up with a finish for the walls that replicated the look of wallpaper.  One day when Paula was attending her room, a visitor came to her and asked about the “wallpaper.”  Paula told her that the walls were faux finished but the visitor insisted that it was paper.  Paula told the lady that she was there when they were being painted so they were in fact faux. The lady still didn’t believe her.  I laughed out loud when I heard that!

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Good faux painting is undetectable. Unless you have a trained eye (and sometimes hand) to discern the surface, most people walk right by without a second thought.  Another example: I was at a home show a few years ago where I had a panel that I wood grained to look like mahogany. I literally had to stop people and say, “That’s not real, it’s painted.” And they would look at me like I had two heads.  I certainly got a kick out of their reaction.

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Today’s “faux” is simply a reincarnation of ancient methods. If we look at the term “faux,” it translates from French meaning “false.” These techniques started as a form of replicating materials such as marble, wood, and other natural surfaces with paint; but in our age has come to encompass many other decorative finishes for walls, furniture, and other surfaces.  Faux finishing has been used for millennia, from cave paintings to ancient Egypt but what we generally think of as faux finishing in the decorative arts began with plaster finishes in Mesopotamia over 5000 years ago. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faux_painting)

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Old finishes don’t die; they simply get updated with materials, color schemes, or chemistry.  Lately wallpaper is all the rage and rightly so.  There are beautiful colors, patterns, textures, and sheens, all which fly in the face of the now dated old world plasters, textures, and other faux finishes.  But what’s interesting is that most of the papers I see I say to myself, “I can do that with paint!” The best thing is that I can do that in the EXACT color and scale the client needs – i.e., the client is not limited to what’s on the wallpaper. The best decorative artist can see a surface and will be able to dissect the finish into its elements. Stencils, metallic paints, glass beads, or plasters; these are all just materials.  Its what the decorative artist does with these materials that develops into a timeless or trendy finish, whatever the client wishes.

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So what does this mean for you? Well, let me give you some examples.  When you have a surface in your house that has seen better days you may think about replacing it rather than saving it.  Painting kitchen cabinets are much more economical than ripping out and replacing them when done correctly.

Glazes can transform an otherwise boring drywall and molding ceiling into a mahogany masterpiece.  A builder’s grade white fireplace mantle can be painted to look like carved marble. Grandma’s buffet can be updated to the 21st century. Want a tile backsplash but can’t find the perfect tile that matches your granite? Paint it.  Want to tie together two disparate rooms? A perfect artistic finish will do the trick.

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Part of being an artist is to show people how art can enhance their every day lives and environment. Faux is just one way of achieving that goal. It is not simply ragging or sponge painting either.  It’s a way to bring interest, or subtlety, or impact, or all of the above to your environment that you will love for years.

Faux isn’t dead, its hiding in plain sight.