My very favorite studio in my home state of Florida is the Sarasota School of Faux & Architectural Finishing.? The school is run by Donna Phelps and she is a fellow Global Moderator on Talk Faux.? I can’t say enough good things about Donna — she’s funny, a fantastic teacher and a super genius at producing the most awesome sample boards.? Every year?brings new and exciting?techniques — sooooo glad to have her only 2 hours away.?

Which brings me to the Fall Faux Fling.? Donna is having an Open House at her studio this Saturday (October 11th) from Noon – 5:30 pm.?? (For address, phone or RSVP info, click here.)? She is previewing new classes, new products and new stencils.? She’s also having hourly drawings (last time I won some cool products…love that!) and having an inventory sale to make room for all the new materials (see…this is where I get in trouble…).? Here’s a peek at some of her new finishes:

Can you say Yummy & Delicious?!?? These boards plus many more will be on display and there will be some cool presentations as well.? I heard that she also has William Cochran coming in to teach a class…

I’ve been going to Donna’s studio since 2000.? I still faithfully try to go at least once per year because I can always count on her to add to my bag of tricks.? She’s also a popular teacher at the IDAL conventions and at other faux schools nationwide.??I hope you get a chance to check out her studio!

10/18 UPDATE:? Another of my faves, Dundean Studios, is having their second Open House of the year next Saturday, October 25th from 9 am – 5:30 pm.? Their studio (where I’ve taken many courses, most recently Advanced Woodgraining) is located in Chatham, NJ.? Dean is a Salon member and a true master in our field — if you get a chance, don’t miss going to his studio.

Walking into Melanie Royals’ studio is like walking into the faux version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. There is so much eye candy in the two-story space — floors, walls, ceilings, panels, artwork, staircases, furniture, doors…it all flows together and as she gave our group a personal tour, it was mindboggling to note the creativity that flows from her mind.  I am a frequent reader of the Design Amour blog and it was cool to see, in person, the pictures I have drooled over in the past year. The studio is still a “work-in-progress” and it was great to hear her plans for filling up the remaining spaces. I’m so glad she’s in our industry!

Here’s some pics of the studio. (More to come in Part Two.)

Elegant Reflections is a two-day class that focuses on using mirrors and glass as substrates.  It covers etching, patination, various forms of gilding and reverse painting. The two days were jam packed — there was a lot of ground to cover. On the first day, we learned about proper preparation and she advised us that the techniques would be a new way of thinking for us: working in the reverse. In fact, she let us know when she first started working with glass & mirrors that she basically threw out all her initial samples. Through her guidance, we started to see what the products do and how they react.

Here’s peeks into the various processes and samples both around the studio and created for the class. Pictured is my classmate, Kersteen Anders, who, coincidentally, was also with me in the Safra course given in Italy for advanced Venetian Plaster techniques.

I can totally understand the controlled process and how different techniques I use will affect the end result. I love this new direction! Once I receive my samples, I’ll post up Part Two with more pics of the studio and some of the created works so you can see the end results. For years I’ve planned to take a workshop by Melanie Royals — I’m so glad I took this particular one and invested into my business. It’s wonderful to learn many new things (flash gilding, anyone?) AND have found new substrates to add to my services.  Please note that if you are interested, the next Elegant Reflections class is February 9 – 10, 2009. I can’t wait to receive my samples and other yummy stuff!

There are some great decorative painting events and conventions coming up this year.? They are all fantastic opportunities to learn about new finishing trends, discover the latest & greatest products, share recipes, meet both new and old friends and of course the best part: being inspired to push your boundaries and set new creative standards for yourself.?

Salon — This one is coming up quick: May 21 – 25 in Chicago, IL?(open to the public on the 22nd) and this year’s theme is Music.? Salon is a prestigious group of international decorative painters (in fact, last year’s Salon was held in Denmark) who convene yearly to “study each other’s work, watch and discuss old and new techniques and materials”.? As I understand it, artists can apply to Salon by submitting their work but membership is?by invitation only.??The event is for Salon members and those interested in?seeing?true modern day masters at work.? After seeing the public exhibitions, it is impossible to not be humbled and yet strangely inspired by the Salon artistry.? (In fact, after?taking Dean Sickler’s Advanced Woodgraining class, I walked away and challenged myself to reach?his level of realism by the time I was 65.? Wait a minute.? I just realized?I only gave myself?a few decades…better get crackin’!)

Society of Decorative Painters — The 36th Annual Conference and Expo will be held May 26 – 31 in Tampa, FL.? Their theme this year is “Share the Magic of Painting”?and there will be Beginner – Advanced classes held throughout the event. This event is less faux-related and?has more of an emphasis on?traditional decorative painting.? On Saturday, the expo is open to the public for free.?

SALI Convention — This year is an envelope-pushing event for the organization hosting this popular yearly?convention.? SALI stands for Stencil Artisans League, Inc. and this year?they are recognizing the growth of the decorative painting industry by changing the organization’s name to one encompassing all the artistic disciplines of our industry.? The name (which will be unveiled at the convention) also ushers in a great year of classes, with teachers such as Gary Lord, Donna Phelps, Kathy Carroll,?Melanie Royals, Pierre Finkelstein, Leonard Pardon,?Barth White?and George Zaffle?(to name just a few).? There is also a fantastic Expo to walk through, tour events scheduled and parties.? The event is in Charleston, SC and runs from July??21-26.? One of my best friends in this business, Denise Lunsford (who owns The Wall-Nut based in Naples/Fort Myers),?and I will be rooming together and we always have so much fun.? (We met?at a class about 8 years ago and it was a lifelong-friend moment.? In fact, when I call her I say “Hey Denise.? Denephew here.”)?? You can download the brochure and see about coming along.? Should be a great event!

Artisans on the Water?– This is the first event of its kind hosted by Out of this World Finishes/Seattle School of Decorative Painting, and they are planning to make it a yearly summer event.? The sunset dinner cruise will be in Seattle, WA, on August 7th (discounts available if you register by May 20th).? There will be gourmet cuisine, demonstrations of sell-able finishes by world-renowned instructors (including some previously mentioned instructors in addition to the Hoppe Brothers and Mike Macneil) with plenty of carrying on.? What a great idea!!

The Decorative Arts Show?– The Faux Event?has now become a part of The Decorative Arts Show, endorsed by the PDPA (Professional Decorative Painters Association).??This event is scheduled for September 7 – 13 in Atlantic City, NJ.? There are 48 classes available?and include some of the teachers above as well as Ina Brousseau & Allen Marx, Andre Martinez, Nicola Vigini, Dean Sickler?and a Business Roundtable that includes Nicholas Cichielo.? Looks awesome!

Hope you found some good information and please be sure to follow the links in case one (or a few) tickle your interest…we’ll meet again at?the next post!

Thought I would post up some pics of our Textures Workshop.? We had a blast since everyone was?funny and outgoing and ready to learn…love that vibe in a class!? When I pulled out my camera to start taking pics, Pam (one of our students), said “You know this is going to end up on the blog!” and everyone started laughing.??(Including myself.? I knew it was true!)

In the Textures class, we learn three finishes:?Old World Plaster, ShimmerStone and an elegant Tissue Paper finish.? The Old World Plaster was?turned into two finishes since I wanted to teach how to achieve bricks/tile/stones as well.? I?also try to incorporate stencil work into the take-home samples since I think?some textures could always use a bit of oomph.???

Stenciling acrylic colors onto the ShimmerStone…

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ShimmerStone?is a shimmery plaster that once troweled onto a wall, gives a kind of suede lustre appearance.? It’s beautiful and comes in a myriad of colors.

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Here is Jorge with his Old World Texture…we gave the boards a worn and rustic appearance by having some darker areas and some faded areas.? His lower left corner had some really cool crackling going on (wish the picture did the finished sample justice!)

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Our website will soon be updated with classes at Benjamin Moore beyond May.? I know the next ones are: Metallics (June 7th), Textures?(June 21) and Venetian Plaster (July?13).? We also have the Cabinet Refinishing workshops?taught at our studio in the schedule as well.?

I was?asked where one could purchase good stencils — that’s a loaded question since there are so many great stencil companies and retailers out there.? I?thought I’d share the list with you as well.? Here are some favorite retailers?(in no particular order):

Artistic Painting Studio, The Stencil Library, Royal Design Studio,?Wallovers, Stencilled Garden, Stencil Search (a sorta-Google site for stencils), L.A. Stencilworks?and?Stencil Planet.? When I started out, the owner of Heart of the Home?stencils, Laura,?was super-nice and patient with me so I always feel good recommending her stencils as well.??In case you’d like to?take a look at?additional companies,?Stencil Search?has a?considerable list of stencil manufacturers.?

Have a great weekend!

Hi, Everyone!? I am so proud and happy to announce we have a winner for our April Workshop Contest: Sharon Adelman from College Park, FL!? I have corresponded with Sharon (she’s a peach!) and she has chosen the Venetian Plaster Workshop?on May 10th.? Congratulations, Sharon — I look forward to teaching you some beautiful Venetian Plaster techniques!

Here’s how to win our May Workshop Contest:

This month’s contest is a bit more serendipitous.? We will choose this month’s winner?from those who sign up for our newsletter during the month of May.? As the sign-ups come in, we will pop their names into a “hat” and then pick out a random winner at the end of the month.? Good luck!!!

If you’d like to take a look at our Workshop Details and Calendar, click here.? Our faux classes are being held in the Ocoee, FL location of Benjamin Moore and there will be light food and refreshments during each class as well as a product giveaway and material discounts.? Please note that should you win and you have already paid for your class, you will be reimbursed the class fee — no worries!? It should be a great time!

I’m pleased to announce that every month, we are going to be holding a different contest to win a free Benjamin Moore Faux Finishing DIY Workshop.??Here’s how to win our April 2008 Contest:

This month our blog’s name and site changed to Fauxology, easily accessable by going to www.fauxology.com.? The person who recommends our new Fauxology blog and link to the most amount of people via e-mail will win the class!? Please remember to cc: Regina@GarayArtisans.com so I can keep track of the amount of persons you have referred.? At the end of the month, I will announce the winner!? (Hey – try clicking the Fauxology link — you’ll come right back to this page.? It’ll be?our version of Groundhog Day!)?

Samples of the finishes taught in the?workshops — three per class — will now be?available for viewing?at?the class location, Benjamin Moore’s Ocoee, FL?store,?and you can also take a peek at our workshop details.??I’ve also worked out a couple of cool things with Ben Moore: there will be a nice product give-away during the classes and students will receive a discount on all products purchased?for their home use.? There will also be refreshments and a little food to nosh on during class.? It’s going to be a fun, creative time — I’m so excited!?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Garay Artisans?or just e-mail me directly.? I wish you all good luck and look forward to meeting the winner!???

Please note:?If you have already signed up for a Benjamin Moore class and you win, you will be reimbursed the course fee.? Additionally, if you would prefer to take the Cabinetry Workshop instead of a Benjamin Moore Workshop, you will receive a credit of $99 towards?your chosen Cabinet Workshop.? There is no cash value to this contest outside of the 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…