Faux Expo 2011

A fantastic event shaping up for next week here in lovely Orlando, FL is the Faux Expo.  It runs from September 26th through the 30th and is being held at the Doubletree Resort at SeaWorld.  I think Orlando is one of the best places to have a show since there is so much to do outside of the events — you can literally make a vacation of it.  Not only the Disney Parks but the creative hubs of cities like Winter Park, the state-of-the-art arena we now have plus the nightlife in downtown Orlando.  Something for everyone!  Plus, I’m here to guide you so what could be better, right?

The Instructors list is impressive and there’s so many great classes to choose from.  Incredibly, the registration is $75 which gives you access to all the show events, including the trade show, lectures and several live full-mural demonstrations.  The classes are very reasonable (ranging from $195 to $455) and run from Tuesday through Friday. Here’s the show schedule for you to check out.  (I see there’s a miniature golf tournament going on.  Might have to spruce up ye olde swing…)  Here’s a peek at some of the class samples…

 I seriously get so excited when I see samples like this. I mean, it’s just incredible to be able to replicate! This is the Aurastone class.

I met Bonnie LeCat at the recent IDAL convention and she is just a lovely person. This is just a small sampling of what you can expect in her Foliage & Flora class.

Faux finishes that keep up with current interior design trends — here are 2 of the samples from the Double Down class by Sheri Zeman and Donna Phelps.

My woodgraining acumen grew by leaps and bounds after taking Dean Sickler’s class at his NJ studio.  He teaches it here — this skill is a must in any bag of tricks.

Patrick Kirwin has a 2-day Realistic Water class. He teaches a photorealistic yet quick technique – the link has more incredible images.

Pierre Finkelstein is also on tap as well as Nicola Vigini, Sean Crosby, Henri Menendez, Gert-Jan Nijsse and a few other great artisans and manufacturers.  I’m also very excited about Tuesday’s William Cochran lecture on the importance of trompe l’oeil as I missed hearing his lecture at IDAL.  True to form, part of the event will help benefit both the Ronald McDonald House and Give Kids the World – love that!

I am excited to have the opportunity to meet those who are coming to Orlando.  I will be there on some days (finalizing the schedule to see if I can take some classes) and I know my friend, Mary Childs, will be there as well.  We’ll be posting some info and images for you as we can but I’m sure there will be great coverage on the Faux Expo Facebook fan page, too.  See you there!