Fauxology: Studying the Visual Magic of Faux Finishing and Interior Design (brought to you by Garay Artisans)

Ohhhhhhh, check this out!  So, I received my monthly newsletter from FGP, and in it was a link to a GREAT site, CGTextures.  It has free pics organized in different categories for all kinds of textures — from bricks to rust to reptile scales to distressed plaster to skies to wood…geez, can you tell I’m excited?!?

These kinds of visual aids can help so much.  For instance, getting your brick work as realistic as possible, that aged plaster just right or to make sure that where you paint the water or rust stains is exactly where they would be after hundreds of years.  Or, for a muralist, to have readily available pictures of cloud patterns or water ripples and the like.  If you really care about your particular commission, you can spend hours looking for the right image.

From what I can tell the site is used mainly by 3-D artists for video games and other graphics.  I have so many pictures of textures, I’ll have to see if they accept contributions.  (Yes, picture a wonderful husband on vacation with an insane wife running around with a digital camera yelling “RUST!? OMG, RUST!!? It’s so beautiful –look at how it gathers under the crevices!  When am I ever going to find another picture like this?!?”)

I assure you it has happened, folks.  Pity my hubby.  Uhm…enjoy the site!

We have previously profiled Florida’s Golden Palette, a local chapter of SALI whose members include both hobbyists and professionals.  Well — some truly exciting news!  The membership has grown so much that Florida’s Golden Palette has now become two chapters — one based in Tampa and one in Orlando.  The Tampa location will keep the FGP name (since it was founded there) and the new Orlando chapter will be known as the Professional Decorative Artisans (PDA)…although I daresay if you are not a professional faux finisher but one who dabbles, it would still be a wonderful group to join.  The cost is $25 per year, January through December.  Being a member of SALI is still a pre-requisite.

The Tampa chapter will meet on the first Saturday of every month and the Orlando chapter will meet on the last Saturday of every month, both starting at 9:30 am. Each chapter will have their own board and affordable monthly classes and I know that many original members of FGP will join the new Orlando chapter as well.  Each group will have individual newsletters and a yearly philanthropic project.  This is great news for all local artisans!

Since the PDA had their first meeting this month and a new board was selected, a little bit of settling in will still need to happen.  I could not make the first meeting (we were moving into our new location) but my friend, Debbie Jackson, was in attendance and she gave me as much info as she could.  She says the new board has so many good plans and she was impressed with how organized everything was.  Cool, no? So keep the next meeting date open (9:30 am on Saturday, February 23rd) and as soon as I know more (location, class details, etc.), I will definitely pass it on!

We’ve just wrapped up Phase I of a project that took, give or take, about a month to complete.  The construction and design of the bachelor pad was being overseen by a couple who were previous clients of mine — and working with them both was a joy. They were great with colors, firm in their vision and yet laid back enough to let us be artists and do what we do best.  It was a collaborative and enjoyable commission…and some of my favorite work came out of it.

Here are some of the areas we did — please keep in mind the home is under construction so there is no furniture and the usual accoutrements.  We are returning in April or May for Phase 2 — after that, I can then get full on pics of the final design.

We’ll start off big.  This is the Grande Foyer and you can see on the left, we have just finished base painting the insets with metallic paint. Everything in the ceiling was white. On the right, is the final product.  Aged metallic insets, woodgraining on the beams and Modello tiles where we did faux wood marquetry.  In Phase 2, we are going to be getting rid of all the white with a combination of warmer colors and some elegant glazing.

The Dining Room walls (you can see the “during” phase of this room on the before pic above) received a deep blue plaster treatment.  All the colors throughout the house “go” with each other…we had a nice palette of rich browns, blues, warm grays and soft whites with some strong “punch” colors in some rooms.  Remember - this is a bachelor pad.

Guest Rooms — two of the three guest rooms received a finish. One had the Waterfall finish (left) and the other horizontal stripes (right).  The Waterfall room (with its own wing located next to the pool) had a Pottery Barn inspiration — the bed and furniture will be up against it and all the incoming colors and textures will remain crisp and fresh with the wall being the burst-of-color focal point.  One of my sister’s faves is the horizontal stripes — plus it has a balcony where you will be able to go out into and see all the beautiful landscaping.

Special Areas - (Left) Some of the door casings were stained wood and we were asked to make those that had non-stained/non-wood doors blend in with them.  Voila!  (Sorry about the glare.)  On the right, these were two windows that were a bit too bare for the owner.  We were asked to come up with something “cool and funky and not blah” for the windows and there we go.

There were more areas but I don’t want to overwhelm you with pics.  I’ll add more as we move on to Phase 2.  Have a great day!

A good friend of mine, John Varno, is an excellent artist and clued me into his latest art show.  The exhibition is called Enter the Doors of L.I.F.E. — L.I.F.E. being an acronym for Love is for Everyone and it’s about the power of art on the heart and mind.  The exhibition was put together by Mayor Buddy Dyer, The Orlando City Commissioners and the Orlando Public Art Advisory Board.  Various artists were specifically chosen to showcase their talent on beautifully decorated doors.  The complimentary Artist’s Reception is on January 24th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the City Hall Rotunda, where the exhibition will remain until March 9, 2008.  The City Hall is located in downtown Orlando at 400 South Orange Avenue — can’t really miss the building!  Should be a fun evening!

Also, the Orlando Museum of Art continues its Looking Together series on Thursday, January 31st.  The topic is “Collecting: A Woman’s Aesthetic” and will run from 1 pm - 4 pm.  According to their website, Looking Together is a panel discussion and in this particular one, a discussion will revolve around what goes into collecting from a feminine perspective.  Women collectors will discuss how they became involved in collecting, how a piece of art is considered important and the new frontiers art will delve into.  The cost is $15 per person ($12/person for OMA members and $10/person for groups of 10 or more) and you can register by calling (407) 896-4231, Ext. 262.   Sounds good!

Hope there’s something of interest in there for all of you!

UPDATE 01/18:? Hi, there!? Had to add one more fantastic event.  A friend of mine from WFTV-Channel 9 forwarded info on a show called “Urban Pop - A Night of Art & Music in the Avant-Garde”.  It is on Friday, January 25th from 8pm - 2am (with a special preview from 6pm - 8pm).  It’s put together by MB Art Projects and the address is 630 West Central Studios, 630 West Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando.  There will be three warehouses open for the event and each has something cool going on.  This show will mark the event of selling Keith Haring’s Pop Shop Sign from a private collection.  The sale will fund plans for a not-for-profit institute for contemporary art.  The cover is $5.

Three diverse events — now there really should be something for everyone!

I thought it would be fun to walk you through one of our most unique commissions. One day last year we received a call from The Evans Group about some areas that they wanted marbled.  We had just met the designers at the HD Boutique show in Miami Beach and they were looking for a faux finishing firm who could tackle this commission for a new Re/Max location here in Orlando.

My brother, Jason, and I met them at the new site.  My brother and I each have different expertises in faux finishing and one of his is marbling.  He simply amazes me — I could never come close to his talent in this field.  So, he definitely took the lead on this one.  The designers brought a 4 inch square piece of marble — an unusual one that had a flat sheen.  They explained that this was to be part of the flooring and we were to reproduce this marble on two large exterior arches. Jason was to use the tile they brought as the guide for making the samples for approval and, ultimately, the large exterior arches.

(Below Left) Some of the sample variations he created…you can see the 4 inch piece of marble used as a guide on the easel’s lower right.  It would eventually be magnified onto two separate arches, each approximately 13 foot x 15 foot. We reached both areas via a cherry picker.  (Below Right) For your reference, a shot of the final marble flooring installed.

(Below Left) One of the arches, pre-painting & pre-skimming.  (Below Right) The same arch after being fixed and base painted.

(Below) This is the first glaze layer.

(Below) After toning and “aging” the glaze a bit, the veins were started.

(Below) Continuing the veins — the blue tape indicates some areas which Jason thought could use a bit more oomph.  He’s extremely detail-oriented.

(Below) Final shot of one of the arches.

(Below Left) The installed flooring again to reference against (Below Right) a close-up of one of the arches.  A good match, no? Each arch took about a week to complete.

The artwork was given three topcoat layers in a flat sheen to mimic the marble completely.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this mini-to-maxi marble tour!

A good friend of mine, Monica Zeuli, and I were talking faux books. (She’s also the artist who took the photo that inspired the previous post.) She and I get very excitable together about art — we show each other magazine articles, talk about finish recipes, go to art fairs…really, the only thing I dislike about her is that she roots for the Red Sox and the Patriots. (We can’t all be perfect. Go Giants!) Anyhoo. She mentioned that she had just bought this fantastic book from the North Light Book Club and I should look into it…so I did…and I greatly enjoyed it. So much so that (drum roll, please) the January 2008 book of the month is Your Home - A Living Canvas by Curtis L. Heuser.

Mr. Heuser has an interesting backstory. This book is actually a snapshot of the reconstruction/remodeling of a run-down home he bought in Newport, Kentucky. The house was sold to him with all the contents intact and when he had a yard sale, one of his neighbors, Clare Finney, came by to take a look. She noticed his business van and being the art director for North Light Books, she was intrigued and spoke to him about his business and plans for the house. This book is a result of that serendipitous meeting. I love stories like that…and I’m glad such a wonderful artist had the opportunity to showcase the truly amazing transformation of his own home.

The book is organized by each area of the home: Foyer, Kitchen, Master Suite, etc. For each area, he not only talks about the decorative painting but also about such key elements like flooring, lighting and accessories. The directions he gives are concise and the pictures help as well — I think anyone could tackle these projects and enjoy success. He has extensive before and after pictures and while I’ve included some here, I left some choice ones for you to discover in his book. Here we go:

Seriously. How delicious is this room? And it’s the Guest Room!! Could you imagine being someone’s guest and walking into this space? I would hug the person and say “THANK YOU!!”. Sigh. Well, obviously many other people agree with me since it is the cover shot. I really would just want to curl up with a nice cup of tea, catch up on some reading or a fantastic crossword puzzle and just idle the Saturday afternoon away nested within this Chinese garden landscape.

I stared at this picture for a while since I knew the beams were real but where did they end? The painted trompe l’oeil fabric looks like it’s draping over it seamlessly. You’ll just have to get the book to discover the magic!

I love this since the designs (both on the celing and the walls) started with plaster as the base. It gives a more three-dimensional feel than just a painted design. Supercool idea. He rebuilt that fireplace and found the tin cherub panel (one of two) in a consignment shop, both marred and rusted. He saw its potential and did a beautiful aged terracotta finish over it. BTW, you’re not going to believe the before shots!

I hope you do get a chance to peruse this book since it is filled with beautiful photographs and great how-tos. Mr. Heuser (and North Light Books) have, in my opinion, produced a winner of a book. Kudos!

That quote always makes me laugh…and sometimes it causes me to reflect on what it has taken to succeed. (At least, my version of success.) This month reflects the 10-year anniversary of my starting this business — on a part-time basis, of course, since leaving my regular paying job was the goal but not the reality. Exactly two years after that I would move to Orlando, Florida and take the big full-time leap into The Greater Unknown. If anyone is thinking of starting their own creative business — I assure you, I know your fear. Sometimes I think I’ve made every mistake there could be for an entrepreneur. (…and not to brag or anything, but I think I’ve even invented some new mistakes. I’m just that kind of girl.)

An artist who frequently joins us on our job sites, Monica Zeuli, recently took this picture of me at the end of a long day. We had just finished the walls for a treasured client (I think we are on Phase 5 or something like that) and I felt we had really done a good job as a team. As artisans, we have to strike a fine balance between hand-crafted and balanced precision. It’s artistry that I call “perfectly imperfect”.

Seeing the pic reminds me of how much I love doing this every day and how the research, labor, color mixing, business issues — everything, basically — almost never feels like work. It’s funny that on the 10-year anniversary, our business is expanding into new arenas and a new phase has come forward for Garay Artisans. (One that we’ll share very soon!) It’s an exciting time for us…and scary: another big leap into The Greater Unknown (someone should really make a map of that place). I do hope that you keep coming back to read up on all the shenanigans. However, please note that skydiving will not be included.

It’s important for anyone involved in any kind of design field to keep abreast of color trends.  To my observation, it seems as if fashion sets the trends and then the home interior magazines start incorporating these colors and finally the houseware design stores start carrying accessories and fabrics in these shades.  They are put together so beautifully, you never notice that the colors you are coveting for your bedroom were chosen and predicted over a year ago.  Some color research groups predict color trends up to three years in advance.

I know what you’re saying: “OK, this time, you’re off your rocker!  How can anyone really know about colors that far in advance?  No one tells me what colors to use — I like what I like and that’s it!”  (Yes, I can hear your thoughts…just get comfortable with that and let’s move on.)   I assure you, these color professionals do get it right. (…and hey, remember back in the 80’s when mauve — shudder – and teal made the rounds?  Please don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that.  Would you bring those colors into your home now?  In fact, I could probably just make a living from all the pink pickled oak cabinets we now transform to a softly aged creamy off-white.)

I often read the color trend reports with great interest and plan to create samples for future seasons using those colorations.  Voila!? Hip, new interesting finishes with fresh colors for both my clients and designers to choose from.  Now, I know what you’re further saying: A little less conversation and a little more action, Regina!  (Thanks, Elvis.) So, without further ado, the color trends as predicted by three great organizations:

1) Paint Quality Institute: They foresee three color trends.  At their site, they also have a nice podcast on these 2008 hues.

Go Green - Representing the growing environmental movement.  These colors include mid-tone hues of fern, sage, clear blue, aqua, sandy tones and warm browns.

Sophisticated Elegance - Dramatic and sophisticated are the keys here.  Black and white paint hues, metallic finishes and high sheens mixed with rich textures.  More color punch can be added by mixing with red, taupe or a subtle pink.

Crewel Colors - Simplicity for a technology overloaded world.  This palette reflects consumers going back to the comfort of crafts, cooking and family — adding a soulful and personalized feel to a space.  Colors include rich cranberry reds, warm browns, pumpkin orange and deep-toned blues.

2) Color Marketing Group:  CMG is the leading international association of color design professionals.  In fact, they track color trends at least three years in advance through a five-step color forecasting process.  Here are their picks:

Ethnic Accents - Globalism has inspired a love for ethnic accent colors, esp. from India, China, Morocco and Latin America. Reds and glowing oranges, rosy pinks, sunny golden yellows and lots of turquoise.  These will show up as “punch” colors in hotels, restaurants and retail spaces and will often be paired with rich browns as the neutral shades.

Looking Green - This palette includes off-whites, linen and sandy colors along with rock and soil colors.  In the mix are the brown-greens and finishes with textures and a bit of natural imperfections.

Blues - A “trust me” color.  In the arenas of decor, blues remind us of sky and water and its a color inspired by environmentalism.  Later in 2008 will be the emergence of a much blacker blue, inspired by technology, as well as a deep, vibrant navy so dark you’ll swear it’s black.

Specialized Finishes, Warmer Metallics - Advances in technology have made shimmery, specialized finishes really hot.  In 2008, the metallics will go warmer.  After many years of brushed chrome and nickel, shades will now tend to copper and bronze tones.

3) Pantone: Pantone is a world-renowned authority on color.  They released their color forecast for the home interiors market at the International Home & Housewares Show 2007.  Their 2008 color of the year is Blue Iris, a balanced blue-purple, which they feel is the best representation of the direction for the fashion, cosmetics and design fields.  They see it artfully combined with deeper plums, red-browns, yellow-greens, grapes and gray.

There you have it! I hope it’s proved informative…it should be fun tracking how accurate these color predictions were at the start of next year. Until the next post!

Well, I’m not one to pass along gossip but…oh, who am I kidding?  A little scoop here and there never hurt anyone.  Here’s a little something I read today:

“BravoTV is seeking undiscovered interior design stars for the second season of its hit competition series, Top Design.  All types of designers from all walks of life, whose design sensibility can be expressed in the world of interiors, are being sought.  Up-and-coming as well as established professionals will compete for career-making opportunities and work under the eyes of the industry’s top names!

This is your chance to battle for a coveted spread in Elle Decor, $100,000 and the momentum to achieve your dream career.  For complete application information, go to Bravo’s casting webpage or you can e-mail casting@magicalelves.com.”  (Yup, Magical Elves.  I myself had to check that website to make sure it wasn’t a joke, LOL!  That would make a fun name for a shoe-making company…but, I digress.)

The nearest Open Call is this Friday, the 11th, at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center…but you can always just print the application & make your video and get it to Bravo by February 15th.  If anyone out there is thinking of applying, I send you good wishes and hopes that you WIN!