Garay Artisans – Website & Workshops

Hello, Everyone! Well, we had our presentation yesterday with Benjamin Moore at Robb & Stucky and it was a BLAST! We actually had about three times the amount of people that we expected (I sooooooooo ran out of materials, sigh). Thecrowd was spectacular — they were really interested in the subject and really involved with great questions.? My mouth actually dropped open when some came up to me and told me they were very familiar with our website and blog and came to see the presentation because of it. (Wow. I just about hugged them!) The presentation was about the 2008 Color & Finish Trends and I think I must have rehearsed my speech and prepared the visual aids about a million times (my poor husband…I think he now knows more about color than he ever wanted to). ?I’ve gotta tell you — doing the in-depth research was fascinating, too. ?I never want to stop learning about color. ?(A big Thank You! goes out to Kay Bennett and Deborah Kreiger of Robb & Stucky and Tim Langill of Benjamin Moore for organizing this event!)

During the talk, we premiered our new DIY venture with Benjamin Moore’s Village Paint Shop (a really hip and modern Benjamin Moore retail outlet in Ocoee, FL). We will be starting all our faux finishing classes at their store starting in May — you can check out our workshops and updated schedule. We’ve kept the price point at $99 for a 3 – 4 hour class and you will walk out with 3 sample boards with cool finishes. (Seriously. How great is that price?!? ?I would take my own class if I wasn’t teaching it already, LOL!) The classes are Metallics, Textures and Venetian Plasters — workshops specifically tailored for homeowners who’d like to tackle their own walls and have guidance in choosing good colors for their home. The audience at the presentation were able to ask questions and see samples as well as receive guidance on which class to take…really wonderful!

Here are my brother (left) and I (right) at other events and workshops:

(Drum Roll) Also premiering in May are our Cabinet Refinishing workshops. My brother, Jason, will be teaching the intense one-day class at our production facility in Groveland, FL (near Clermont). ?Students will learn everything from proper organization and prepwork to spraying to final touches…basically, everything you need to transform your kitchen with cabinets you’ll love. Each class will focus on a particular finish — either Aged Cabinetry or Distressed Cabinetry. Be sure to check out the introductory special, a fantastic two-member team rate for the workshop. This is perfect for those husband-and-wife duos who want to come in together or two friends who want to help each other tackle their cabinets. The first class is scheduled for Saturday, May 17th.

Our website has been updated with the aforementioned new workshop schedule, video clips, additional pictures in the Gallery and custom training info. (Thank you, Karen — you rock!) We also freshened up our Services page and have introduced our Canvas Works program. As that program expands, so will that area of the website — we already have a few orders under way and it it so cool to see the finished works. I may one day get around to actually producing some canvas pieces for my own home!

Some canvas finishes we’ve been working on:

Until next time…