A wall of a different color

Every once in a while a project comes along that is so out of the ordinary and fantastic that as an artist I can hardly contain my excitement. The past two weeks I had the extraordinary opportunity to work on such. I have to say that I always love my job. (the creative painting part anyway) I have enjoyed each and every creative endeavor to beautify my client's homes, but this one job has actually been one of my very favorite.
I've done many homes in the last five years, each finish has been unique in it's own way. Most clients, however, are very mindful to stay fairly neutral. The most popular finishes I've had seem to be all the "tuscan" style finishes done in browns and soft glazes.
I happened to mention in an article in January's Home Improvement and Remodeling Magazine that the new trend is leaning toward metallics. Well, here is one wonderful case in point.
A fabulous lady who has the most unique taste of mirrored furniture and modern crystal chandeliers contacted me about a month ago and asked me to come look at her home. She had a file filled with photos from all sorts of magazines on decor and design. She showed me one picture in particular that had an item that was done in silver gilding. She said "I want that on my walls." Well, I have to say I was thrilled and horrified all at once. I love to use leafing and think it is one of the most amazing of decorative art forms, but it absolutely stinks a place to high heaven, not too mention the time and money that it costs tends to turn a client off.
What I came up with instead is this. It's a combination of silver leafing and silver plaster. (like venetian plaster) The results were absolutely incredible. I haven't enjoyed a creation yet as much as I did this one. The project didn't end with the silver walls either. In addition to her affinity for mirrors and light, this client has also had an affection for a famous designer who painted or rather printed a very recognizable face on many items from plates to chairs. She has several of these pieces and wanted that same face on her walls. We did that and then some. Here are the results.

Easy painting tips
Personalizing a child's room on a budget
My son was four years old when we moved into our new house. He was used to his old room and he had only just adapted to sleeping by himself. This new room in a strange house was very intimidating. He had a hard time sleeping in it until I painted a room full of dinosaurs for him.

You don't have to be an artist to create a comfortable and familiar place for your child to feel at home. Here's a few tips that can create that space that they'll want to be in.

1. Have them help choose the paint color. I realize that your daughter may go for Pepto Bismol pink, but with a little coercion, you can direct her toward the lightest pink on the swatch stick and she'd still be happy.
A great way to choose colors is to find them in her favorite comforter.
2. Don't be afraid to paint a stripe or two in bright colors to add some interest. It's easier than you think and if you check this blog there are some great tips on how to paint a straight line. Even some polka dots in different sizes are totally easy and way fun. An even better idea is to take simple elements from that comforter and mimic them on the wall on a large scale like these flowers.
3. Go to a thrift store and find a side table, dresser, or even headboard and give it a good paint job. You'd be surprised how an old, seemingly ugly piece can be transformed.
4. Get frames half of at the craft store (ours seems to always have a sale) and put your child's artwork in it.
5. Again, go to the craft store and buy your child's name in wood letters. Spray paint them, put some stickers on them, or leave them plain. Have them help you paint and hang them and they'll love it.

The great thing about paint is that it's cheap. Don't be afraid to put those colors on the wall. Who cares if it doesn't go with the rest of the house.

The color GREEN

It's no secret that we are living in an era where society has become aware of the effects of our actions on our planet. We are recycling more than ever, our government is looking into alternative energy, and the hybrid car is becoming more and more attractive! (arguable, I'm sure)

With all of this GREEN consciousness, it is now possible to be GREEN and attractive on your walls as well. Paint companies are recognizing that people would like to breath better air and save the ozone. Many companies today are developing and selling new lines of low VOC paints and finish products. What is a VOC? -you ask. Volatile Organic Compounds are chemicals in paints that emit harmful gases into the air. Back in the day, oil-based paints were used for everything. They were durable and easy to work with, but the odor was horrendous! You don't even want to know what those chemicals can do to your body.
Water based paints and latex paints have been around for a long time and it's almost impossible to find an oil-based paint anymore. Even some water based paints are fairly high in VOC's. The glossier the finish, the higher the VOC content. This is because the glossy finishes have more bonding agents in them and therefore more of the chemicals that release those gases.

I've just returned from taking a fabulous class that was all about low VOC decorative textures and paints. I am now a Preferred Provider for the new Shizen line of finishes by Modern Masters paints. These are products that not only are low VOC, but use recycled or renewable materials to boot!
The Koruku finish for example is made from bark from the cork oak tree. The bark is harvested and the tree grows it back. This is not your '70's cork tiles, it's a fabulous organic looking finish that can be done in any configuration imaginable. It has the ability to control humidity and is an excellent thermal insulator. This example is two colors of Koruku done in a fabulous cherry blossom stencil.

Another texture that is part of this line is called Kai, which means "seashell". This amazing texture is made from soil, sand, stone and ground sea shells reclaimed from the food industry. It has a fabulous sheen to it with little sparkles all over, it's subtle and beautiful all at once. The most amazing thing about this product is that not only is it low in VOC's, but it has the ability to absorb or dissolve other VOC's that may be lurking in the air in your home!

These are only a few of the products in this line. There are other finishes as well that are already low in VOC's. A Venetian Plaster is very low as is my favorite metallic plaster. Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore both make base paints that are not only low VOC, but highly durable and fabulous to work with.

If you are interested in seeing some exciting innovations in GREEN wall finishes please come and visit my booth at hgcDIRECT the weekend of March 6-8 for the GREEN Expo.

Easy painting tips

Professional straight lines at the ceiling
Those white walls have driven you mad and you have decided to put your favorite shade of chartreuse on that big wall in the living room. You got all the tools from your favorite hardware store, paint tray, can opener, brushes plastic drop cloth, roller and tape. The paint is poured into the tray the roller hits the wall and its smooth sailing. "Who can't do this" you think to yourself as your boring white wall transforms magically to the vibrant pop of color you have imagined for so long. You get your handy dandy brush out to cut in the edges and start slapping on the paint only to find that some of it is leaking onto the ceiling and perhaps the adjacent wall. The perfect paint job just got ruined by the not so perfect line at the ceiling.
Well don't despair, there is a great trick to achieving that perfect ceiling line. No, it's not that edge tool that you've seen on tv. It's much more simple than that.

When cutting in the edges of your wall the only tool you need is a good angled brush. I usually like to use a 2 inch brush, it's not too big, but big enough to hold some paint. Don't try and use a big paint can full of paint or a messy tray while trimming, get a smaller container that is easy to hold in your hand and has a good edge to scrape some of your paint off your brush with. Most likely you will be using a latex paint which is water base and means you can thin it with water. That is exactly what I do. How much water is the key. Some paint will be the perfect consistency for trimming right out of the can, but most of the time I add a little water. What you are looking for is the consistency of chocolate syrup (you know what that's like don't you?) or maybe a little thicker. The important thing to remember is not to add so much water that when you put the brush up to the corner it runs down your arm. The point is that if the paint is too thick, you will get clumps instead of a nice bead of paint.

Once you've mixed your paint to the right thickness, take your brush and dip it only halfway up the bristles. Never dip all the way to the ferrell(metal band) because that will ruin a good brush fast. Touch your brush to the side of your container. This should take some paint off the brush. Next take the brush and put the flat side on the wall about an inch away from the ceiling. Give it a little push into the wall. You may notice some bubbles come out at the tip of the bristles, that's good, those air bubbles will ruin a good straight line every time. Now you can move your brush to where you want your edge to be, however, the trick is that you keep your edge about 1/8 of an inch below corner. Yep, it’s that simple! By keeping your brush loaded with paint that’s the right consistency (typically slightly thinner), removing the air bubbles, and aiming for an edge that’s about 1/8 of an inch from the corner, you can achieve a perfect edge with no unsightly leaking into the ceiling where it doesn’t belong! Give it a try and see what a difference it makes!

To Faux or not to Faux

The notion that faux finishes are either in or out of style is a topic that tends to come up in conversations about decor from time to time. When I hear someone state simply that "faux finishes are out of style" I tend to look at that person as one who is merely uninformed as to the history of decorative painting. Term "faux finish" actually gets used a little too often and most of the time incorrectly.
A "faux" finish is one that is replicating, or "faking" something else. For example, if I were to paint your builder's white columns in your home to look like Carrera Marble, that would be a faux finish. Throughout history artists were employed to replicate different stones or wood grains in order to save the cost of installing the real thing. A simple wall glaze today can be used to replicate the aged walls of old Italian villas.

Many wall textures or paint treatments today are not trying to "fake" anything. They are actually custom, high-end designer finishes meant to add ambiance, depth and interest to a room that may other wise be very simple. Is that to say that every room needs a custom decorative finish? I suppose considering what I do for a living, I should say "YES! Absolutely I can come up with a finish for every room in your house!" Well, I can, but I certainly wouldn't think that to be the best idea in every situation. I certainly don't have different finishes in every room of my house. I think a little can go a long way in most cases, although, I have done homes in which we did almost the entire house in custom finishes......subtle, custom finishes that flow together seamlessly.
The point is that every person has different taste, every home has different architecture and every era has different trends in decor. The heavily textured terra cotta finish of a southwestern home would not work in the dining room of your colonial style Virginia home, but a fabulous silver metallic glaze over steel blue paint would be divine! If your taste is Tuscan (which has been and continues to be VERY "in style") then a fresco mural in the niche on your staircase is definitely in order.

The so-called trend right now happens to be metallics and they are popping up on ceilings, in niches, and in fabulous Venetian Plasters. The metallics of today go with many different decor styles, from traditional to Tuscan.
Simply put, a well chosen flat paint color can definitely be the right choice in many situations, but not only are Decorative Finishes in style now, they have been for centuries. Look at magazines, get inspiration from your vases, fabrics, rugs, etc and let a trained professional show you the many possibilities that custom "faux" finishes can give you.

30 days in August

As much as I set my mind to blog once a week, I've already blown that goal and am now posting a full two months since my last article. I've been a very busy girl and have four murals, three faux finishes and 9 cut out and painted characters two show for it! When I'm not busy I'm crying and when I'm busy I'm crying. I suppose that is an artist for you.
My month of August started out with a friend asking me to check out this new home and garden center opening up in mid month and would I want to do a booth in it. Well here I am now and I did two finishes in the reception area, a mural for a landscaper's booth and a faux finish for my own wall along with a trompe l'oeil window. In the midst of all of this I had a gig to start for a new Goddard School opening up in the south part of town that wanted two large murals and mascots for each of their 9 rooms. I have to say that I've not worked so hard in a very long time. My house has not been this thrashed in a very long time! I've finished all with flying colors, except for my own booth which may never be totally finished in my head anyway. (never good enough in my head, most artists can identify with this I think)
I have to say that I truly was blessed to land such a wonderful job as The Goddard School and to have it as sort of a respite in the midst of working a much more trying job (or two) at the Home and Garden Center was probably what saved me from going absolutely crazy. I had a great time designing the characters and the owners were so kind. Here is the main mural finished, and yes, I should do a better job piecing the photo together, but I've got little energy left and you can get the idea anyway. The wall measured 10 foot 10 inches square oddly enough and is facing you as you walk into the school.

The very creative couple who own the school had this great idea of "Come explore our world" I love it when a client can articulate what is in their head and I am just able to interpret. We had nine class rooms to represent in the mural and the animals were each put on a continent with the explorer in the ocean. It couldn't have worked out better.
Next we decided that a procession of the animals walking into the school along side the children as they enter would be in order and this is what I came up with for the entry hall.

I had an absolutely wonderful time painting this one and hope to do more like this.

I have great pics of the mural and finishes in the home and garden center that I will share on the next post.

preliminary sketches

In as long as I have been honing my mural skills, I've long had a debate with myself about how to present or even render preliminary sketches. I've done paintings, pencil sketches, colored pencil, and even watercolor pencil. I've come to the conclusion that for me, the colored pencils work just fine.
For our sweet woodland nursery, we've chosen the paint color and are ready to execute the mural. This particular design is broken up into several small murals at the baseboard around the room. As I do with all my murals, I sketched a small example in colored pencil for the client's approval. If I have a client who needs more help visualizing the finshed product I will paint a small example on canvas for an additional fee. I do direct my clients to my website to have them look at previous work to get an idea of what I am capable of. This usually takes care of any apprehension that may arise from the pencil sketches. Here is the preliminary drawing and the mural as finished today. I'll be adding flowers and butterflies in a couple days.

These cute little racoons turned out pretty much like the drawing, but better. I think it is up to the individual artist to choose how the preliminary drawings are done. Of course, each client is different and some need a little extra visual help.