Guest Instructor/SkimStone Porch Project
Rick Fischer
Deco Illusions
Fort Wayne, IN
decorick@earthlink.net
Artisan Rick Fischer, owner of Deco Illusions, specializes in custom and decorative finishes for both residential and commercial clients. He creates an extensive line of finishes which include; European Old World textured finishes, contemporary and historical glazing, color washes, custom stencils, metal effects, woodgraining and marbling on interior and exterior surfaces and furniture. He has also added decorative finishes on concrete floors and countertops to his portfolio, designing distinctive finishes with custom Modello overlays.
When he first started Deco Illusions over 15 years ago he specialized in custom automotive painting and design. His interests then expanded into the field of decorative faux painting. It was with this experience that he realized his passion for this field and the potential for opportunity. Since that time he has been taking numerous classes and seminars throughout the country and has worked with several big names in this industry. He has been featured in a number of magazines such as “Business People” and “The Faux Finisher”. He has also taught decorative finish classes at the annual SALI convention and has worked at numerous trade shows.
Rick feels that it is important to have passion for your work. Your current and potential clients will see this positive energy and it will also reflect in your finishes.
Our Participating Artisans
Jennifer Bright-Blazek
Legacy Wall Designs, LLC
Winchester, VA
legacywalldesigns@adelphia.net
Basic services and specialties:
Legacy Wall Designs provides upscale wall and floor finishes for homes and businesses. Treatments include: Troweled European plasters/textures, Ceiling Designs, Murals, Marbling, Gilding, Ornamental Verses, Kids Rooms & Nurseries, Skimstone and Bella Vernici Floor Finishes.
Career highlights:
The most interesting project that I completed was an 8 foot by 6 foot diameter fiberglass Apple. The apple was painted in a multi-layered realistic cloud finish. Inspirational phrases spiraled around the entire apple from top to bottom. The theme depicted for the apple was “Sky is the Limit.”
Artistic background:
I am the “Narrator with a Brush.” I convey the appreciation for beauty and elegance.
My secret to success is getting my 7 year old in bed by 8:30 and to find grace in every situation.
My artistic background consists of a strong background in Color & Design Theory. I hold a Masters Degree in Art Education from Kutztown University. I am a skilled former Art Teacher with 9 1/2 years experience. My graduate work contributed to the book “Thinking through Aesthetics” by Dr. Marilyn Stewart. I am also a watercolorist that has exhibited and sold art.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
I wanted to be included in this project for 3 reasons: First, as an Artist, Teacher and a Daughter of a Cancer Survivor, I actively engage in giving back to the Universe on any level.I Second, any opportunity to learn something new from Melanie Royals is reason enough! Third, the Skimstone product is providing a revolutionary solution for floor finishes. I am on the “preferred applicator” list and wanted to continue my knowledge onto the next level.product is providing a revolutionary solution for floor finishes. I am on the “preferred applicator” list and wanted to continue my knowledge onto the next level.
Sher Branson
Fauxteriors, Inc.
Lexington, KY
Sher.Branson@Fauxteriors.com
Basic services and specialties:
Fauxteriors, Inc., Located in Lexington, Kentucky, is the partnership of Linda Huddle and Sher Branson providing faux and decorative finishes, murals, cabinet and furniture finishes, and decorative concrete applications to residential and commercial clients.
Being a full service custom faux and decorative finish company, Fauxteriors is unlike many other decorative artists in that we do not contract out our wall preparation and base coat painting.
Our finishes range anywhere from simple and subtle wall glazing techniques to elaborate and complex multi-layered textural effects. We proudly present a diverse array of custom designed faux finishes, Venetian plasters and shimmering metallic effects.
Career highlights:
May 2006 marks our first full year as an incorporated business, with many highlights and interesting projects including: our first full room mural project for a baby’s room (with 3 days to spare before baby’s birth); participation in a large-scale outdoor faux finishing project in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; completing decorative finishes and murals for a Tour of Homes home in western Kentucky; and The Art of Living project taking us into our second year.
Artistic background:
Definitely an artist at heart, my artistic background emerged in my childhood with sketching, oil painting, and various arts and crafts. I became interested in the decorative arts about eight years ago, and finally made the move from court reporter to decorative artist with my first class in May 2005. That one class was the spark that led to others: The Art and Business of Faux Finishing with Martin Alan Hirsch, Marbling & Wood Graining with Mike MacNeil, and Murals 101 with Lori LeMare. Not only have these classes provided me with techniques and skills, but also the inspiration and insight to experiment with new products and color schemes in which to build our business portfolio.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
The Art of Living represents a collaborative effort with renowned artists providing an artistic way of ultimately giving back to the community. I not only value the learning experience the project offers, but the cause at hand, and feel honored to be chosen to be a part of this wonderful group.
Kirsten Briggs
Kirsten Briggs Studios
Kenvil, NJ
fauxartistatwork@msn.com
Basic services and specialties:
Services include faux finishes, color consultations, and accent painting. Also, offer three lines of decorative wallpapers- torn papers from Stoney Brook Wallcoverings, Stone Block, and Anaglypta Wallpapers.
Career Highlights:
Most of my client projects are residential, however, have worked on two commercial projects- the CKC Kitchen & Design Center in the Short Hills Mall, NJ, and a retail clothing store in St. Louis, MO, Street Legends. Both were learning experiences and gave my business lots of exposure.
Artistic background:
I’ve been in the painting business for 20 years- beginning my career (although I didn’t know it at the time) as an apprentice painting contractor- right out of high school! Went into corporate marketing career- but always kept my hand I the painting biz. Five years ago- took my first faux finishing class (one of many!) and the rest is history. I love my job and wouldn’t trade it for anything. My biggest reward is the transformation of the spaces I work on and the reactions of my clients.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
The opportunity to learn new finishes “on the job”- all while donating my time to a worthy cause.
Bernadette Forese
The Faux Pro
Kennett Square, PA
www.thefauxpro.net
bernie@thefauxpro.net
Basic services and specialties:
My business specializes in beautifying any area of the client’s home. This may range from a custom elaborate ceiling treatment to smaller projects, giving a room an updated look while having a dramatic affect on the client’s living space. All my services offer a free consultation to understand the look, feel and decorative objective of each unique client situation.
Career highlights:
My work has been showcased in multiple designer show houses in Bucks County and Chester County, PA. Additionally I’ve been featured in various newsstand magazines, online publications and have guest hosted various faux finishing websites. I consider one of my greatest and proudest accomplishments the fact that I have established a business built on satisfied clients and referrals.
Artistic background:
After a 10 year career in systems engineering, I vacated the corporate world to follow what I felt to be my true creative passion. It has been a whirlwind ever since. My professional training started in New York, Atlanta, PA, DE and NJ. I continue decorative painting training by taking additional instruction from top international master artists several times each year. This on-going training allows me to remain current and I’m able to offer my clients the most cutting edge and creative techniques available with unique products.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
Like many others, cancer has struck my family, and with others, I look forward to the day when a cure is finally discovered. It is a true honor to be a part of such a collaborative effort in raising money and awareness for The Chester County Cancer Center – my local cancer center. Through our collaborative hard work and participation in this event, it is my hope we are able to make a real positive impact for our community and its members.
Sherry Funk
Funky Faux Finishes
Grand Forks, ND
sherry@funkyfauxfinishes.com
www.funkyfauxfinishes.com
Basic services and specialties:
Glazing, Plasters, Marbleizing, Furniture and Cabinets.
Career highlights:
1. Designed a piece that was auctioned off at The Harvest Gala that benefited the Altru Breast Cancer Center.
2. Won the Exhibitor’s Choice award at this years (’06) Home Builders Show.
3. Recently (April ’06), my business and home I fauxed was featured in our local newspaper.
Artistic background:
I’ve always been a little right-brained, I have never trained professionally in design, but I am very strong in Color, Style & Design, and feel I can pull a room together with the feel that client is going for. I feel that my artistic background comes from my American Indian heritage, growing up with many talented people around me. I have attended many Faux Training schools around the country. In the future, I will be attending Color Theory & more design/art classes, as I feel it it very important to keep up with today’s trends.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
The fact that this money obtained from this event will help a cancer center, being able to work with other talented faux artisans, and hoping to gain new knowledge as well as new friends.
Lauren K. Gaines
Designs in Paint
Wake Forest, NC
gaines67@earthlink.net
Basic services and specialties:
Although my training includes education in furniture & cabinet finishing, I predominately specialize in various plaster techniques concentrating on interior walls & ceilings. I truly enjoy incorporating other mediums such as Modello Designs and gold leaf to produce specialty effects.
Career highlights:
I have been honored with “Special Feature” awards for my work in Raleigh, North Carolina “Parade of Homes” for 5 consecutive years. My work has been published in both local and out of state builder & design magazines. My most challenging project was done this past October; the installation of 12 Panels in a coffered ceiling 23 feet high. The finish included Faux Effects multi-colored Lusterstone and waxed Modello gold leaf medallions.
Artistic background:
I have been painting for 11 years, 8 professionally. I have studied with numerous teaching studios over the past 7 years and have made an effort to study with some of the industry’s top teachers. I enjoy taking classes and have truly found my passion in life. I love building upon a finish from a class and truly “making it my own”. I honestly believe that continued education not only keeps me competitive, but more importantly energized and creative.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
I really enjoy pushing myself artistically; I don’t ever enjoy the “comfort” of recreating the same finish over and over. Having studied extensively with both Barbara Skivington & Melanie Royals, I knew that this project would be diverse, challenging and rewarding.
Raina Gentry
Walls of Pompeii
Prescott, AZ
rainagentry@hotmail.com
Basic services and specialties:
Although I do offer painted finishes, most of the work I do is plaster finishes. I offer a wide range of plaster types and finishes, with or without stenciling. I also do murals, but do not encourage traditional “faux” painting. I like to do more original artwork for clients, as I am a fine artist.
Career highlights:
My current project is the highlight of my decorative painting career. I am working with a designer on a 10 million dollar home, doing plaster finishes in several areas of the home.
Artistic background:
Currently, I show work in galleries in Prescott, Jerome, and Flagstaff, AZ.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
For the experience of working side by side with others I admire in the industry, and also to make new connections and to work with Melanie again.
Beth Hohman
Fauxtiques
Brinklow, MD
bethhohman@yahoo.com
Basic services and specialties:
Beth focuses on creatively blending faux finishes that will complement and enhance antique furnishings. An avid collector, Beth strives to employ historical hues, motifs, patterns, and textures in her finishes that will capture and accentuate unique elements of period décor. Beth’s faux finishing specialties include living, dining, and powder rooms. Beth enjoys working with Modellos and Faux Effects products, particularly Lusterstone, Venetian plasters, Old World Fresco, Palette Deco, and glazing mediums.
Career highlights:
Completing professional level course at Faux Works Studio and being selected to participate in the Art of Living!
Artistic background:
Beth discovered her love of painting and appreciation of art as a young child. She studied fine art and art history at Bridgewater College, Virginia, and then earned her BA in graphic design from the Maryland Institute College if Art in Baltimore, Maryland in 1978. For the past 25 years, Beth’s primary career has been as a marketing and communications professional where she brings her artistic eye to designing promotional and advertising campaigns. Beth’s real love, however, is interior design and decorative painting, and she has been a serous faux finishing practitioner for the past year and a half. Her newly formed business, Fauxtiques, is serving residential and boutique salon clients in the Washington, DC area and a guided-tours ranch in Bend, Oregon.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
The Art of Living project offers a rare opportunity to work with and learn form the best-of-the-best in the field of decorative arts. As a growing practitioner, this apprenticeship program offers me the complete package of new ideas, instruction, and inspiration: Nationally known professional artisans and instructors, four days of applying exciting faux techniques to transform a country home, and a getaway in historic Brandywine Valley where three generations of Wyeths have lived and painted. It promises to be a truly experiential learning event!
Linda D. Huddle
Fauxteriors, Inc
Lexington, KY
Linda.Huddle@Fauxteriors.com
Basic services and specialties:
Fauxteriors, Inc., located in Lexington, Kentucky, is the partnership of Linda Huddle and Sher Branson providing faux and decorative finishes, murals, cabinet and furniture finishes, and decorative concrete applications to residential and commercial clients.
Career highlights:
May 2006 marks our first full year as an incorporated business, with many highlights and interesting projects including: our first full room mural project for a baby’s room (with 3 days to spare before baby’s birth); participation in a large-scale outdoor faux finishing project in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; completing decorative finishes and murals for a Tour of Homes home in western Kentucky; and The Art of Living project taking us into our second year.
Artistic background:
Being the “left” brain of the partnership naturally comes the business side- overseeing the daily operations of the overall business and working closely with the client. My artistic side becomes more prominent in interpreting the wants and needs of the client, and providing the client with a completed project that exceeds their expectations. Through the past eight years, my artistic background has grown from basic faux finishing skills for my own home renovations to acquiring the proficiency and knowledge of various techniques and proprietary products available today.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
The Art of Living project is an opportunity to learn in a unique, hands-on environment. What better way to hone one’s skills by actually doing, and receiving instruction from the best in our field. This project offers nothing but positives: the concept of teamwork, learning and networking with other decorative artists, and the beauty of the end result all for a good cause. Previously growing up in that area of Pennsylvania gave me something that I have carried into my adult life; now I can give something uniquely artistic back.
Monique Lawrence
Waterbox Studios
Avenue, MD
Perchcreek@aol.com
Basic services and specialties:
Residing on an old tobacco farm off the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River in Southern Maryland, with 3 children, 2 choclate Labrador retrievers, 2 goats, a miniature horse, welsh pony, a retired thoroughbred racehorse, a bunny and a few barn cats. I moved there with my husband after living and working in Georgetown, DC after graduating college. I wanted to raise my children where they could run and enjoy simpler things.
Career highlights:
My design influences are a direct reflection of our daily life on the farm. Color is so important to me and I use what I am surrounded by to enhance my client’s lives. The powdery gray of an oyster shell, the brown of one of my old worn saddles, and rusty red from a can washed ashore- these are my inspirations. I always try to achieve an antiquated or organic feel with all of my choices- I favor reality and realism in my work- like the yellow in dried marsh grass or the blue green of a Maryland crab Shell. I enjoy using and work hard to find authentic colors and materials. My work is heavily laden with what is within my view. I just can’t help myself- having lived on the water almost my entire life, planting gardens and riding horses. My design style is a marrying of the historic with coastal and maritime qualities- the two things I gravitate towards most. I always strive to create dwellings, which feel like they have roots and have been lived in for centuries.
Artistic background:
I currently assist Washington, DC, Annapolis and Southern Maryland clients with the design and build of their homes, one project and one client at a time. A few finished projects include historic properties dating back to 1634, Coastal Manors with helicopter landings, DC Brownstones and water front cottages. My experience also includes the design and furnishing of law firms, waterfront restaurants, nonprofits, civil engineering offices and other types of commercial establishments. No project is the same because each client is unique.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
Participating in the Art of Living design showcase represents to me the opportunity of a lifetime. Working beside others who share your vision, your interests and your passion for color- is creative Utopia. Barbara Skivington has provided to me not only inspiration but also a phenomenal skill set. Any opportunity to work beside Barbara is an opportunity I would not miss. I thoroughly enjoy the inspiration, I derive from pairing up with other people who appreciate, what I appreciate- the potential is un-quantifiable.
Tammie Murphy
Les Femmes de Faux
High Point, NC
mmisty10@aol.com
Basic services and specialties:
Les Femmes de Faux (The Women of Faux) offers faux finishes for walls, cabinets and furniture and concrete.
Career highlights:
At this point in my career, all projects are new and interesting. The Art of Living will be a career highlight!
Artistic background:
After spending most of my life as an accountant, I quit work to be a stay at home mom. During this time, I took an interest in many do-it-yourself projects, faux finishing being my favorite.
I decided to turn my hobby into a career after taking classes at Faux Works. I sharpened my skills faux finishing for friends and relatives and of course my own home. Almost every room in my home displays a different faux technique.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
Starting a career as a faux finisher, The Art of Living apprenticeship program will be a rewarding experience for me, I look forward to working with master instructors, learning new techniques, and gaining the professional exposure.
The Art of Living will be an excellent chance for me to promote my new career as a faux finisher.
Diane O’Connor
Springfield, PA
docdesign@comcast.net
Basic services and specialties:
Diane is a freelance Decorative Finishing Artisan. Her work includes walls and cabinetry primarily in the residential sector, with specialty projects in small commercial spaces. Diane’s creative style interplays multiple finishes utilizing the latest techniques and products in Textures, Plasters and Metallics to produce cutting edge finishes. Enhancing through color, stencil or embossing adds great depth, dimension and uniqueness to her finished product.
Artistic background:
In the 1980’s, Diane attended the Art Institute of Phila’s Interior Design Program. She then went on to Drexel University to study architecture. In 2002, after raising her family, Diane joined the “faux” world and began 4 years of professional training at the top finishing studios in the country. Combining her background and passion for art has enabled Diane to produce custom finishes that enhance her clients overall design expectations.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
I enjoy the creative stimulation of the team approach of varied professionals in the field of Decorative Finishing Artisans. I am very enthused to participate in this collective project, The Art of Living.
David Payseur
Payseur Designs
payseurdesigns@tcia.net
Basic services and specialties:
My wife Brigette & I travel 7 southern states creating fun inviting restaurants for clients. We work with owners and contractors to design interiors with various faux wall and floors. We also create one of a kind wall mural. Our murals are in over 80 restaurants, churches, government buildings and private homes in the southeastern USA. We create theme colors for several restaurant chains that are growing in the area.
Career highlights:
Every project is interesting because they are all so different. We have created theme colors and faux finishes for a large seafood chain restaurant and a chicken wing chain restaurant that is expanding across America.
Artistic background:
I have always enjoyed art and painting, private art lessons as a teenager, and won various ribbons in school art competitions, majored in Photography and Art in college. Attended: Central Piedmont Community College, Gaston College, and Randolph Tech, Asheboro, NC.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
To learn first… to help with a group project & meet new friends in the business of decorative finishing.
Amy Perou
Basic services and specialties:
I paint to fulfill the creative side of my life with the eventual goal of opening my own business. Ideally, I would like to create delightful children’s room, where the environment that the child envisions comes to life through my magic.
Career highlights:
During college I received several awards for my photography. But this was long before I became a faux painting fanatic. To date my family and close friends’ are the ones who have benefited from my skills. But 2 rooms in particular stand out, where a child’s wish became reality… a fairytale cottage in a flower garden for an imaginative 6 year old and a room that is a testament to all sports, complete with its own version of center court at the Dean Dome for a basketball loving teen.
Artistic Background:
For generations, art has been a strong part of my family and that gene was passed on to me. In college I received two degrees - a BS in Zoology and a BFA in Fine Arts. The need to create something out of nothing burns deep in me. My love of painting consumes me regardless of what I do to pay the bills; I work as a geneticist. My bookcases are not filled with scientific journals, but rather books on designs, color theory, painting techniques and architecture. I am happiest when I am in the zone, surrounded by my paints and covered with speckles of various pigments from the project at hand, as I watch what I envision in my head appear in front of me. And it is that love which pushed me into faux finishes. It has never mattered to me if my medium was fabric or wood or paints. And I always find myself drawing on my knowledge of different media to make the magic happen. I have turned many an over looked piece of furniture into something that delights the child in all of us. This creative drive is an innate part of me… to create something out of nothing, to move the “vision” into reality. An immeasurable satisfaction is gained when the desired effect through the “magic” of my brushes is realize — not only in my eyes , but especially in the eyes of the client, that child of any age.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
In any profession it is important to take on new challenges and to expand your knowledge in the field. With the completion of each endeavor, your skills are sharpened and you become a more consummate professional. There is an infectious energy when a group of people with the same passion work together in unison. A geneticist may go to a scientific meeting to be inspired and to feed off of the others in the field. “The Art of Living” is my inspirational meeting and a way to challenge myself and improve in my craft. Additionally, as someone who studies cancer from the scientific side on a daily basis, I am pleased to be able to do something on a more personal level that will directly benefit individuals who have had a cancer invade their lives.
Diane Piacentino
Distinctive Faux Design
piacentino1@aol.com
Basic services and specialties:
Exquisite finished transformations for walls, cabinets, furniture, fireplace mantels, concrete and more.
Career highlights:
Learning is an ongoing process and given that premise, I enhance my knowledge and expertise with every new project.
Artistic background:
Coming from a business background in corporate compensation enables me to maintain the integrity of a buiness while still fulfilling a passion for the arts.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
This is a wonderful opportunity to not only utilize the skills I have acquired, but to also meet and work with other successful artist who have the same interests and goals. I love being a small piece to a large puzzle. This house will be a culmination of love and talent of all forms.
Michelle Sherer
Chelle Designs Inc.
chelledesigns1@yahoo.com
Basic services and specialties:
Our professional objectives are in meeting unique designs concepts of clientele owning upper end residential and commercial structures. This often requires educating clients in the visualization process so they can more fully understand the full range and integration of our highly specialized finishes and accessories. Our professional emphasis is in providing wall, ceiling and floor surfaces with exquisite finishes ranging from ultra smooth and rustic European plasters to faux impressions of marble, stone, wood grains and animal hides to textured finishes. We also can enhance cabinetry, and fine furniture, thereby meeting a full compliment of design concept for the client. The wide variety of columns and other architectural elements available to the trade allows us to influence interiors which meet the objectives of an overall ambiance desired by our clients.
Career highlights:
Our experience has been primarily directed to estate projects of new construction, and several lodges. This includes our direct input from flooring, wall and window treatments, to furniture selection. We are presently in the design stages of modifying and expanding a family owned lodge in Alaska, with the objective of providing lodging to outdoor recreational enthusiasts, coupled with a unique health and beauty spa. This property is located on an island with spectacular soul soothing views. Cabins will be added to the property providing a taste of luxury in a rustic and peaceful setting.
Artistic background:
Michelle, the president and founder of Chelle Designs, has spent many years in the free lance industry, including providing specialized faux wall treatments. She has also owned an administrative and consulting firm, providing services to companies in Southeast Asia, Japan and Mexico. Chelle Designs has become her first love, a concept inspired by the many new finishes and processes that allow freedom of design and greater creativity.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
The Art of Living concept is both unique and specialized to the point of allowing full expression and representation of a participant, and having the opportunity to work alongside truly innovative and renowned artisans, Barbara Skivington and Melanie Royals.
Lory Strickland
Wallflower Designs
wallflowerdesigns@cox.net
Basic services and specialties:
I have been operating a decorative painting business professionally for the past three years. I offer many different finishes, but the most popular I’ve experienced have been a granite-like finish, basic glazing which I refer to as “leather,” also a paint on paint called “suede.” I also provide custom-designed stencils by Modello Designs, basic stenciling, basic murals, and some free-hand painting. Another finish that I provide often is a trowel-on, plaster type finish called Lusterstone.
Career highlights:
One special career highlight was painting the entire home of a San Diego Padre Baseball player, Brian Giles. Some finishes provided in his house were a tissue paper leather, mural, all-over stencil in the dining room with a distressed finish. I also painted his daughter’s room to look like she lived in a castle complete with fairies and a sky ceiling with glow-in-the dark stars.
Artistic background:
My grandmother was an artist, and she inspired me at a very young age by a painting of a seahorse she did on her bathroom wall. I’ve always enjoyed painting as a hobby and faux painted my own house. When I found out decorative painting could actually be a profession, I decided to pursue it as a career. In the past three years, I’ve attended many classes including schools in Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
I wanted to be a part of the Art of Living project because I have taken classes from Melanie Royals before, and it seemed like a great opportunity to work with her on this project while learning invaluable painting techniques. I look forward to adding this experience to my career highlight.
Monique Warmus
Monique Interiors
moniquewarmus@nc.rr.com
Basic services and specialties:
Monique’s Interiors offers decorative faux finishes, fine furniture finishes and designer cabinet finishes as well as custom window treatments and bedding. All custom work is fabricated using creative designs, beautiful fabrics, select trims and exclusive drapery hardware. Resources are provided for gorgeous chandeliers, fine furniture and accessories to embellish the home.
Career highlights:
I am currently working on a project for a child with Downs Syndrome. The mom’s only specification was that I bring the child’s French heritage into the design. We chose toile fabric with a whimsical frog motif in coral and white by Schumacher. There is a gorgeous gold leafed and crackled corona above the upholstered and tufted headboard with criss-crossing panels of toile, silk and scalloped trim. We made a special pillow with the child’s initials embroidered on silk and billowing balloon window treatments with a pleated heading for extra embellishment. There is a special window seat under a heart shaped Venetian mirror for reading and relaxation.
I finished a powder room this summer that was multi-layered using FauxTex, SofTex, Glaze and AquaWax. I used a floral medallion stencil from Royal Design Studio that created a beautiful raised motif that my customer says everyone wants to touch. I glazed over the white cabinetry in the powder room to create a mahogany finish that looks like it was always there.
Artistic background:
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from The State University of New York at Oswego in 1982. I studied Fine Arts and had a second major in Communication Studies. Recently, I have trained with Barbara Skivington of Faux Works Studio in High Point, North Carolina Where I have learned how to create professional finishes for walls, ceilings, furniture and cabinetry.
What made you want to be a part of The Art of Living?
The Art of Living Project provides a unique environment to learn new techniques while working in an actual site environment with Master Instructors. This is a tremendous professional opportunity that I feel very fortunate to be a part of. The importance of this project and my contributions toward it provides me with a sense of credibility that I desire as a professional in the faux finishing field and the added benefit of contributing to a very worthy cause.
