Today’s post was written by guest Fauxologist, Dana Tucker. Dana graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in Liberal Arts. She has worked in advertising for the last 18 years helping clients create awareness of their brands, drive traffic to their websites and increase overall profitability. She has a passion for interior design and helping home and business owners achieve their design vision through paint and plaster. She manages the day to day operations of Bell and Tucker, updates their blog and social media sites, including their Facebook fan page. Thanks, Dana, for your beautiful post — look forward to more!

“Enter and view with astonishment the magnificence that the hand of man has wrought. The more you look, the more you will see.”—The Courier Journal September 1, 1928 written about the opening of the Palace Theatre.

When I lived in Louisville, KY over a decade ago, I worked less than a block away from the crown jewel of revitalized historic theaters and didn’t even appreciate it. To my credit, I had been to several performances at Louisville’s Palace Theatre and was in awe of the craftsmanship. It took marrying a decorative painter and helping run the day to day operations of our business, Bell and Tucker, for me to understand the artistry and creativity that were required to complete the masterpiece. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit again and my husband and I were taken on a guided tour by Operations Manager, Johnny Downs. He was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge on the structure and its history.

Louisville Palace Theatre

The Loew’s United Artist Theatre was built in 1928 by architect John Eberson who pioneered the “atmospheric theatre” design. An atmospheric theatre is a type of theatre that is intended to give the illusion of an open sky. The decorative and architectural elements often convey the feeling of being seated in a fantasy setting, which might be anything from a palace or village square to a garden or an outdoor amphitheater at night.

Eberson's signature midnight blue sky punctuated with twinkling stars. Clouds periodically appear in the horizon and gracefully float the length of the room.

In a 1926 interview with the Tampa Tribune, Eberson explains how he came up with the idea. “I have been wintering in Florida for the past several years and it is from this state that I got the atmospheric idea. I was impressed with the colorful scenes that greeted me at Miami, Palm Beach and Tampa. Visions of Italian gardens, Spanish patios, Persian shrines and French formal gardens flashed through my mind and at once I directed my energies to carrying out these ideas.” Eberson went on to design some 500 theaters before his death in 1954 including the Orpheum Theatre in Wichita, Kansas, the Majestic Theatre in Houston, Texas and the Tampa Theatre in Tampa, Florida.

Click Here for a Closeup Image

The Spanish Baroque style interior is filled with elaborate sculptural elements, gilded mirrors and plaster ornamentation. The three story lobby features a plaster retablo complete with a replica of David by Donatello. There is something breath taking to see everywhere you look including medieval- styled tapestries, terrazzo tile floors and sculptures tucked into balconies. Incredibly, all the walls are hand troweled textured plaster.

The most hauntingly beautiful room of this structure is the Hall of Faces. Expertly crafted into a massive barrel ceiling are 139 plaster sculptures of eternal guests such as Socrates, Beethoven, Dante, DaVinci and even Eberson himself.

The original theatre was built for $2 million dollars in 1928. It was fully restored in 1994 by investors who raised $4 million dollars to completely “reset the clock” on the historic structure. Volunteer art students from the University of Louisville did a majority of the painting. Every surface was taken down to white and painstakingly re-painted to replicate the original colors and finishes. Today the Louisville Palace is managed by Live Nation and hosts many events each year. Its cozy 2,700 seat auditorium and amazing acoustics make it highly sought by artists who desire a more intimate connection with the audience. Allison Krauss and Union Station recorded a live DVD from the Palace in 2002 and it introduces the viewer to the atmospheric experience.

If you are planning a trip to Louisville make sure you also check out the historic Seelbach Hotel and the stunning basement level Rathskeller room.

Rumor has it that there is a secret passage way under the hotel that was used by Al Capone during prohibition to help him conduct his business. They are within easy walking distance of each other. I hope you enjoy the visit!

Hey Fauxology readers!

Suzanne Rosales here, just dropping by to say hello and tell you about this great article I found. Many of you may design and work on your own website and if that is the case, this article is a must read!

Smashing Magazine (one of my FAV sites to read) featured an article regarding applying Interior Design principles to the Web. It talks about incorporating principles such as balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, color, texture, and lines to your site just like you would incorporate it into your interior design or while planning your finishes.

Below are examples of balance and emphasis applied to web design. They suggest to not only find balance symmetrically and asymmetrically but to find radial balance in your design elements. Another great tip: Having emphasis on a design piece. For instance, I love the example of the colorful dog on the website (fourth one in the series below). It instantly catches your visitor’s and brings them into your site to find out more. (Tip: You can zoom in on the pics by clicking on them.)

You can read the article from Smashing Magazine and see all their great examples by clicking here – Applying Interior Design Principles To The Web. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Sincerely,

Suzanne Rosales

Global Swan

Hello everyone,

This is Suzanne Rosales of GlobalSwan.com, writing in again as a guest blogger today for all Fauxology readers. Today, I’m going to be talking about websites and blogs, as well as spreading the word on some great freebies that I’ve found along the way.

Blogs AND Websites: WordPress!

My favorite web software is WordPress because you can do so much with it as well as being super user-friendly. It can be a simple blog, a gorgeous website, or best of all, both. Keep in mind that the WordPress I’m referring to is Wordpess.org; there is also a WordPress.com which will host and manage the WordPress software of your site, but you will be restricted in what you can do with your site. With WordPress.org, you have a lot of flexibility with your site but you need to install the software on your own server or with a 3rd party provider.  Click the link to read more about the pros and cons of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.  There are tons of plugins, which are “tools to extend the functionality of WordPress”, that are available for your WordPress site to help make it functional and easier to use after installation. If you know your way around web code, you can highly modify WordPress with some tutorials and research to make it your own.

If you are looking for a user-friendly site that you can maintain, I definitely recommend finding a web designer who is familiar with WordPress. For the DIYers who would like to modify the content on their site and update it as often as they’d like, consider working up a training program with your web designer so that they can teach you how to use your new WordPress site. It could save you lots of money at the end of the day.  I know my sister, Regina, did that and it’s worked very well for her with the Fauxology blog.

If you don’t know a designer, you can contact me to help get you on your way. I also build custom websites, online galleries, blogs and e-commerce sites. The possibilities are endless. To see examples of my work, check out My Gallery.

Here are a couple of helpful tips to remember when contracting work with a web designer:

1. Maintain Ownership Of Your Site.
Make sure the contract states that once you are fully paid up on web design services, you own your site, files, databases, artwork and all login credentials are handed over to you.

2. Purchase Your Domains
Buy website domains with your own account; meaning take a minute to sign up for the account with your own credentials.
I recommend using www.name.com — they are inexpensive and easy to use.

3. Sign Up For Your Web Hosting
Make sure website domains are hosted with your own account and contact information.
Remember domain hosting, the companies who run Internet servers that allow you to serve content to the Internet, is an additional service you must subscribe to in order to get your site up and running. Most hosts will offer monthly or yearly subscriptions – the longer you subscribe, the more savings you will receive. I like using www.247-host.com for hosting websites or you can use these other recommended hosts.

4. Ask For Your Credentials
Make sure your webmaster gives you all login credentials.
Whether you or your web designer purchase domains, or sign you up with a host provider under your accounts — make sure you get all your login credentials. Important logins to remember: domains, host provider, e-mail accounts, ftp accounts, WordPress or blog logins, any third party subscriptions for your site.

5. Keep It Safe
Keep all your login credentials in an encrypted file.
Create a word or excel spreadsheet with your sites, usernames and passwords. Research how to encrypt files for your Operating System (PC or Mac).

6. Read Your Contract
If you decide to move your site from one designer to another, always review your website contract. Once the move is complete, I’d recommend changing your logins (if applicable) and passwords. This will ensure your site remains intact and fully functional. **Don’t forget to update your encrypted login file!**

Please do keep the above in mind whether you’re rebuilding your site or starting from scratch — whichever route my clients have needed to take, I’ve helped them achieve peace of mind in knowing that their websites will be fully functional, beautiful and they will own it!  Once you ensure with your chosen company the parameters of your contract, you can move forward with confidence and help design the perfect site for you. With that in mind…

FREEBIES - On my search for web design elements I’ve found some awesome artwork by www.dezinerfolio.com — check out the preview below and click the link to download this awesome icon set. You must click this link if you’d like to take a look at some of the free WordPress themes. Themes is just a fancy word for what your website and blog can look like — as artists, you’ll have a lot of fun picking one that fits your personality.

Click Here to Get Your Freebies!!!!

Warmly,

Suzanne Rosales
Global Swan

I’m sorry, I was all tapped out of cute titles. BUT, it is true — I have just written guest posts for two wonderful blogs and wanted to share them with you. If you have a few moments:

HOME WORKSHOP – I sent out an APB via via e-mail, on TalkFaux, Twitter and Facebook to ask for artisans to submit their work for a lettering & monograms post I was writing for the Home Workshop blog. The result? A deluge of submissions that led to the Lettering in Decor and Design post. Let me tell you, I wish I could have used all the images. I hope you like the results.

BUILDING MOXIE – I just started my post contributions on Building Moxie, a blog that covers all aspects of building and renovating a home. For my inaugural post I wrote about what exactly a faux finisher does. Is our industry solely a luxury? The post is entitled The Fancy Painters are Here!. Let me know if I got it right.

Well, the next three days will be a visual treat here on Fauxology — it’s the three-part D.C. series I have been alluding to. There are lots of pictures to sift through so I better get crackin’. Have a wonderful start to the week!

Today’s post is by guest blogger, Jason Rosales of Garay Artisans

An imagination 7 years into the making for young aspiring actor JW came together with the artistic vision and talent of muralist Monica Arrache Zeuli of Art NuFaux. Together they created a unique mural that seems to come right out of a scary movie. Well, actually it does get its “roots” from JW’s favorite movie titled Sleepy Hollow. Hence the title of the mural: Creepy Hollow.

During the initial consultation, JW had colored printouts of several different images including one of an old decrepit tree that was chosen to be the centerpiece of the mural.

This “Tree of Death” would be surrounded by other dark elements such as an emerald green eerie sky and a rickety windmill. “Those were a lot of fun to paint,” says Monica. Creepy faces were created in the trees along with tiny ghostly eyes looking out at you from under one of the bridges.

Crumbling, chiseled blocks were textured onto the wall and painted on both sides of the mural to give JW the feel and impression of looking out into a vast, ominous landscape from the comfort of under his bed’s comforter.

JW has wanted a unique and scary mural in his bedroom since the age of 5. At the age of 12, he finally had his wish come true. He has always been fascinated by creepy things. He says “I’ve even been to New York’s Sleepy Hollow Cemetery to visit the grave of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’s author, Washington Irving, among other landmarks in that area.”

JW watched intently as the mural unfolded before his eyes. “Overall, JW was such a pleasurable and brilliant person to work with. He has great insight and knows exactly what he wants. He is an artist himself and as an actor and musician, appreciates what went into the actual painting of the mural. As I left on the 3rd day, he gave me a huge hug thanking me,” says Monica.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the featured mural and story I’ve posted. I look forward to writing more for Fauxology in the future and I welcome your comments. – Jason

I am quite honored to be a guest blogger today for Fauxology. I have been writing my own blog over at Painter Girl for some time now and fairly recently stumbled upon Regina’s blog. I was so thrilled to see another decorative painter sharing her trials and tribulations of decorative painting and discussing classes, products and great resources.? Of course, I became an immediate follower of Fauxology!

I have owned my decorative painting company,?Paint It!, for 13 years now. In a prior
life, I worked in an office at a desk, so being on a ladder is a very nice change. I love the freedom of being self-employed and having the opportunity to express my creativity. Recently, I teamed up with Julie Krefta, to write for the Stencil Talk blog.? Julie and I both wanted a blog devoted to the Art of Stenciling and it just seemed logical to have it be an off-shoot of Stencil Search.

If you are not familiar with it, let me give you a quick overview. I have been using this site for years to?find?specific stencils, even before I knew Julie! An example of how Stencil Search works?would be, if you wanted to find a pear stencil…you would just type in the word “pear” in the search box. All the stencil companies who carry a “pear” stencil would appear. From this list you could just click on the individual designers and view their pear stencils. It brings you right to their site, where you can then place your order. It’s a real time saver.

Julie has this site so organized it just blows me away. You will find lists of stencil designers, stencils broken down by categories, an artist directory, stencil shops, sales and news about stencils, featured sites and featured artists, and resources. There is also a forum where anyone can write in and ask for technical help or any stencil related questions. Julie draws upon a vast selection of experienced stencilers to answer any and all questions. From the Stencil Search site, you can also access the Stencil Talk blog.

I am thrilled to be a part of this new blog. I feel very passionate about the need for a strong web presence promoting the art of stenciling. I try to incorporate stenciling in most of the jobs I do. I am finding this easier and easier to do with all the wonderful designs available, the?vast selection of products to experiment with that are now on the market and?when I keep the design concepts current with the trends. Gone are the days of multi-overlay stencils, at least for now. I do still get that occasional job, which is always kind of nice. It’s a little reminder of what was once my main bread and butter! Today I find myself troweling various products through my studier one-overlay stencils or I use Melanie Royals wonderful Modello line. I’m experimenting more and more with stenciling fabrics, custom linens, and drapes.? There is a fresh approach to all stenciled surfaces now because of our fabulous stencil designers and new product lines.

We have seen many small and some large stencil companies disappear from the radar over the past few years. There has been a lot of grumbling in the industry that stenciling is just not in vogue anymore. I recently had the pleasure to interview Melanie Royals.? Her take on stenciling: “It

Hello everyone! This is Jason Rosales – Guest Blogger (aka Regina’s Brother). I’m excited and honored to have been offered a chance to write a guest post on my sister’s blog and as I type Im re’alizing that these words are going to be all over the Internet, world wide!?! A combination of stage fright and empowerment!! LOL. So what to write about…what to write about…Oh!

Woodgraining. There are some things in life that bring?a calming sense of peace and tranquility. Woodgraining is one of them for me — given I have the freedom to take my time and not be rushed with construction deadlines, upcoming scheduled clients, weather, dry line issues, etc., etc. Recently, we took on a cool project that has brought about that joy that I get from woodgraining without all the other stuff. We had some really great clients, the weather was beautiful and it was stress free — we just enjoyed the work. Here are some pictures.

Semi-Before Shot: Half-way through the cleaning phase I realized I hadn’t taken any before pics, hence the reason why one door looks glossier than the other.

Meet the Floggers: This is the phase where you go straight home from work otherwise you risk being quarantined from all the dark speckles of flying paint all over you. I’m not alone on this, am I?

Remember playing Tape Ball when you were young? Good times! Monica wants to save the ball and keep adding to it to see how big it gets. Yeah! LOL

We caught this guy steadily climbing up one of our drop cloths determined to get on top of one of the cars.

On the fin on top of the car – His triumphant photo!!!

Back to work. Ta Da!?Wasn’t that easy? LOL. I like this blog thing.

Ready for your close up?

I hope you guys enjoyed this project post.? I’ll be on the look out for the next one to write about!!? Until next time, take care!