The samples and pictures of the currently scheduled workshops are up and I am so excited to be teaching them! The goal is to teach homeowners and beginners gorgeous techniques in addition to preparing them for success. I got started on this since people used to stop me at Sherwin-Williams or Home Depot and just ask me questions. (I’m thinking the give-away was my usual painted self.)

You see, I’ve seen a lot of current television shows teach you a finish and then they say “…and just continue this around the room. We’ll be right back after the break.” The next shot you see is the room completed and the host moving on to furniture and the like. I was like, well what about corners? How do you get a straight line where the ceiling meets the top of the wall? What if the materials are not reacting as well as they did on the show? A big lightbulb appeared on the top of my head (you’ll just have to take my word for it, since I have no evidence of that) and I decided to teach a complimentary “Proper Prepwork & Planning for your DIY Faux” class for the Southern Women’s Show.  You know what happened? Everyone fell asleep. Like zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  I felt like the most boring speaker on Earth!!!! When I decided to throw in a finish at the end, the attendees just perked up and started coming alive and getting excited and really involved. So, I decided that for my studio classes I would mix in some good prep and planning tips in the midst of learning the finishes. (…and no groaning! It’ll be sorta like me hiding a brussel sprout within the macaroni and cheese — you won’t taste it I promise!)

Here are some of the sample boards (more images are in the Workshop Details area of our website):

        Stone with Embossed Designs.jpg    Parchment with Stencil.jpg    Aged Metallic with Corner Ceiling Design & Gems.jpg

(The first sample is one from our Touchable Textures class, the second is one from Elegant Glazes and the third is one from the Metallic Finishes workshop.)

If you note, we did add a Maitland class into the mix and the next location will probably be in the Villages area. We are adding a Venetian Plaster class soon to the schedule and the pics will be up then. The Cabinet Refinishing class (taught by my brother) will probably be held upon the opening of our permanent Orlando studio since the students will be learning HVLP spraying to create a true “factory-produced” look and that’s tough to do on someone else’s turf.

As always, please feel free to look over and register for our free Message Forum. We are always updating something in the website (we like things fresh, new and updated) and the Message Forum gets a lot of attention and care. Please post any project or workshop questions you have on there and we’ll be more than happy to correspond. To view the full forum, click on the upper left link that says GarayArtisans.com Forum Index. To register and become part of the forum community, click the Register button along the menu on the top right.

Have a great day!