Posts Tagged ‘“ceiling faux finishes”’

Faux Finishing for 2010

Decorative artist Arthur Morehead

Art-Faux Designs Inc

regarded in the area as an expert in the painting industry will hold,

A faux finishing seminar on

Saturday January 9th, 2010 from 2:00 pm-3:00 pm

The International Design Center,

located at 10800 Corkscrew Road Estero, Florida 33928

Please RSVP by calling (239) 390-8207.

Watch this video from one of our last seminars where a live demonstration was done…..

Come see the many samples of finishes and

things that can be accomplished with paints, plaster, foils, and variety of other mediums.

“I have seen an increase in demand for murals and trompe loeil,”

“which is understandable, being that the market seems to be more on the decorative side with clean looking venetian plaster applications for modern designs, with a little bit of both old and new”

With the finishing of the Sean Crosby class in November

We will be introducing more guest instructors in the future

But first I have to get through the next couple of months of getting ready for the grand opening of the new studio in Bonita Springs Fl

Faux finishing is far more than the typical

“sponge painting” that most are accustomed to seeing and

this slide show presentation and informative seminar

Arthur explains the value of the professional decorative artists

and why interior designers choose to use

The Professionals

Over 30 years experience in the painting industry

A resident of Naples since 1987,

Arthur is regarded as an expert in the field and

with a network of many professionals,

Art-Faux Designs Inc

Is The “Go To” Place

for all your decorative painting needs

Call 239 417 1888

www.Art-Faux.com Email: Arthur@Art-Faux.com

Is the artist’s trade another of the ones dieing out

• Posted by PK (Pradeep maheshwari) on September 13, 2009 at 2:02pm

So many of the talented artists are now first creating a digital canvas image and then paining on it to create something that they call original. It is a new way of creating. Easy, fast and a little like the mapped out fill-in-the colors that we used to do as children. The vision of the artists is paramount and this is one way of creating. As good as any other.
But besides this is the the use of digital prints for all purposes. The artist was important earlier because he was the only one who could record life as an image. Then came photography. Now making copies is easy. Creating originals is even easier.
So many trades have died out. Brocades, carpets, furniture, jewelery are all being made and reproduced by machines. Then wither goest our artistry?

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Arthur Morehead 20 minutes ago

I dont believe it is “dieing out” or ever will , But I do believe it is going through a transitional period of confusion. The digital age is going to make more of a presence for a while because of the new technology and like everything else it causes a “trend”. With the new look of today being “chic”, modern, contemporary, will only be around for a couple of years and will come full circle to the traditional, charleston , french country as it has in the past.
I think of this as the “Disco” days of the 70’s and 80’s where a lot of pop art reappeared, and now it has come full circle with what is being called miami modern, and clean sharp lines of stainless steel in combination with bright intensive compliments and split compliments without moving to far into the earth colors.
I am not an Interior Designer but I have been slinging paint and plaster for over 30 years and I have seen these trends come and go.From my past experience, people tire of these modern, sleek looks and end up going back to the more traditional looks which is when we will see more of the traditional art.
I have been trying to point out to interior designers that true decorative artists can be very versatile no matter what the trends are. I have been using a lot of cadmium colors in different ways as to not cross over into that “old world” look that so many faux finishes have a characteristic of. Many of the manufacturers of faux finishing products didnt take into account of the shifting trends which is why Interior Designers steer away from the faux finishes today because no matter what the “trained” faux finisher of today does to the product line they are using it still carries the “old world ” look and feel.
During the faux finishing craze of the 1990’s and 2000 we were in the middle of the traditional, European, Tuscan circle which was perfect timing for the manufacturers of faux finishing products to really hit the market. Because of the innovative design of one product line in particular the market exploded, which brought with it the imported plasters from Europe to try an match and compete with what was going on in the market, hence “faux finishing” became a booming market, BUT they didnt plan far enough ahead for the changing trends and now that we are on the far side of that circle most finishers who have relied on the market not changing are at the wayside waiting for things to come full circle again trying to use the products they were “trained ” with to keep up with the Interior Designers demand for the modern clean look. This is where the separation comes in to being a versatile and creative artist and to be able to totally step away from a product line that just doesn’t work for the existing market and being creative enough to satisfy the market trend and demand of the current climate. The hardest part of the artists is to convince and re-educate the Interior Designers that faux finishing is not just for the kind of interior design that it has become associated with. In a sense its up to the decorative artist to bring to the designers a fresh look and educate them that faux finishing is not just an old world technique but unless the artists themselves step away from the “old world” designed product lines then the artists are just wasting their time.
Designers are trained professionals when it comes to their knowledge, training and experience, just as we as artists should be in our field. A professional Designer can change with the trends and styles by knowing what product lines work for each individual market trend, just as we as artists must be able to be versatile enough to step away from product lines that effect our designs and be creative enough to keep up with the ever changing trends. You see PK products is what has made a lot of faux finishers what they are today and if you take away that product line some are not versatile enough or trained enough to be able to keep up with the changing trends and are lost with out it, so they struggle with working with a product that just simply will not give them or the designers the look they are searching for.
This is why it looks as if the artists trade is “dieing” when in fact it isnt, it’s just reinventing itself and it is up to the artist of today to be innovative and creative enough to be able to step outside that box and give the professional designers what they are looking for. The definition of the word “innovative” explains everything that I have written here in one short sentence……… but I thought that after reading your question that this would be a perfect place to maybe open the eyes of both artists and designers in general and because of the efforts and caring of our trades that the owner of this forum Jim Courtney has Im sure he will see that this discussion will not die at this thread and will probably get this thread out there for as many people to read as possible so I feel my efforts here were not a waste of time for any of us.
I believe that this is an important subject and I am glad you brought this up, because it could very well change many artists lives by bringing up g the importance of continued education for  artists is just as important for the professional Interior Designers which is why I have grown so attached to this forum and the ones who contribute to it, because of the freedom that Jim lets us have to promote our businesses and say what we feel needs to be said……

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Well I had finished my post for the Tatoowall when something very weird had happend ……when I hit the publish button …..it disappeared into cyberspace, and I mean disapeared, It wasnt even in the recovery or back-up files associated with this wordpress operation and this is the 2nd time in a few months that this has happened to me. Makes me wondre if I have gremlins in my computer lmao. So anyway here I am starting all over again because I told a certain few I would have this done today buy first I need cake…….yes thats right cake…..after that Ill wash it down with some of my ArtJuice and Ill be geared for the rest of the night. You see my ArtJuice has just came out with an energy drink that will make a rabbit hug a hound dog and knock your socks off!  but in a nice way, not like those others that slam you with enough caffiene and sugar to give a horse a heart attack lmao, but thats not what Im here to talk about lol

Class Picture

Well it all started a few months ago when an artist friend of mine PJ Hoover of Fauxtastic Dream Scapes had came across a  concept of transferring digital imagery onto what was called a Tatoo wall print. This is not a new concept because I have seen others doing this out west in Las Vegas and a couple of other areas. But this was different, and when I saw what PJ had from the first class in our area I was not only curious but also skeptical at the same time. Below Henri Menedez of Dehueldes Designs in Atlanta Ga. with Rebecca from Ft Myers Fl. apply the first panel of the image that was a photograph taken of one the stone designs by Matrix-Z  Stone & Tile in Ft Lauderdale who Barbara Zigann and the rest of the gang were very helpful in setting things up for us

Rebecca and Henri working together on the wall sizing

I started to do some investigating on this “New Patented” system that no else has that was developed and manufactured in Italy and after discussing the possibilities of what could be done with this Kerri Mehan of Expressionsof Art invited me to attend the Ft Lauderdale class. Of course I am a skeptic when it comes to new products and materials that come into our industry because most of the new products just have not been on the market long enough to really know what is going to happen to it over a period 5 years and I dont use anything unless the manufacturer can prove it to me that they have actually tested it against the elements. Well apparently this has been in developement for a number of years in Italy and has been used for a very long time , I believe I was told some where around 10 years or so, but you will have to verify that. I know we’re only talking about decorative art and murals here but what I always inform  my clients of what I know about it before I make it available to them. I have more than 30 years in the paint business and I make sure that when I paint anything  its going to be right from the beginning and be able to guarentee what I can

The gang

Anyway, after Pj had taken the class she brought all her stuff to our newly forming chapter of The International Decorative Artisans League chapter and when I saw the reults I thought that it was pretty convincing. So of course I inundated her with questions as to the process and I have to admit that there was definetly something here that I needed to investigate more. I always look for something new and different but to me and more importantly  the quality had to be there as well.

Gaia is a great instructor

Gaia was very thourough in explaining the application technique and with me firing all the questions I had for her I am surprised that she was able to still concentrate on the others at the same time as she is seen here with Henri & Rebecca. I must admit that sometimes I can overwhelm the instructors. I know that there are a few of you instructors who have had me in your classes can agree that I do get go a little over board with this lol

Bobby Pesare and I worked together

Under the watchfull eye of Gaia of My Architexture who is the instructor, here I am with Bobby Pesare of  Timeless World Design in Ocala Fl. We worked together on the next panel that went up, and even though its a little tricky at first it really is a simple process for an experienced artist to do, and with the right guidence a novice can also do the application but should have at least some kind of experience in some DIY projects sucj as reading a tape measure and some painting experience

Bobby was a lot of fun to work with

I had a lot of fun working with everyone and Bobby is a real pro when it comes to knowing what to do and when, here he is making sure I dont make him look bad lmao

Finished image

Here you can see the finshed image we all had a hand in on the installation and Gaia made sure everybody got their hands into every aspect of the work right down to the touching up the join lines. She is a fabulous instructor and even taught about pricing the work and the process of manufacturing and how the 3M company was involved in the quality of the backing used for the medium. I am a huge fan of 3M products in what ever I do weather its just painting or applying a decorative technique. As I am sure a lot of you know who are reading this, and you know who you are, when it comes to saving a few dollars to buying the cheaper brands it will usually end up costing you more in labor to fix the things that the cheaper products fail to perform at and always regret saving that couple of extra dollars.

This was a great class and I was glad that I was invited to participate by Kerri Mehan of Expression of Art and I think that having this concept as another tool in the ever expanding tool box that I have will be an asset to me as well as my clients. I will be helping Kerri with a promotional install and will be writing about this one as well because this is going to be a very special project which the details I will reveal once it happens. There is a image that we will be installing of a well known artist who Kerri was actually able to obtain a copyright release for this one install and just to show the possibilities of what could happen with this additional tool and what doors it could open for the decorative art industry let alone the digital arts, photography, paper hangers, and who ever else I cant think of at the moment. It took both PJ Hoover and Kerri Mehan to convince me to really take a serious look at this concept and this patented system that has been developed and I must say that I am convinced that there is definetly a place for this in the decorative arts and digital imagery markets for this because of its ability to be put in places where time is a factor and also when photography and computer graphics is the media of choice

So if you want to stay informed of what we are doing next  with this new concept sign up for my newsletter below because it really will surprise you!  It surprised me when I found out….

I thought I would give an update on the ceiling  finish that I have made available on DVD as a simple  step by step “How To” well as on a  more cost effective downloadable format. This is the exclusive “Trompe Loeil Foil” finish I am performing on a dining room tray ceiling and let me tell you it is turning out very cool. I’ve already base painted the ceiling and I’m getting ready to apply the stencil relief which I will pick from a Melanie Royals Design as per my client’s specification.

Here is a picture of the progress so far. This unique faux finish idea is designed for small flat areas with no texture and is not meant for large areas because of high application costs.  My DVD training series showcase unique designs that someone creates mainly for accents which can work along with whole room projects or by themselves as standalone designs. The main reason for this is because this particular look takes 2 or 3 foil applications to achieve that “just right” amount of coverage.

I have done many foil applications and have found that every wall takes to foil differently as well as any room or ceiling. For instance in this Dining room it took three applications of foil, but in the entry ceiling which is the same finish, it has only taken one. But the beauty of these type of applications is once you have applied the foil you can resize it and do it again without any problems once the first layer has dried.

I could have used a  soft brush like a few other artists use but I didn’t want to take the chance of scratching or putting any kind of swirls in the finish even though with the first application you will see this can also happen by using a soft cloth. Not to worry because the swirls will go away once you achieve the proper coverage with the foil.

At this stage I have invested a total of 2 hours including the basepaint (2 coats) and three foil applications. What’s really unusual about this foil is you can see the base color right through it from different angles even though you have nearly 100% coverage of the foil as you can see from the two photos posted below…

I will keep  updating this post as I progress as but I encourage everyone to check out the step by step instructional video for anyone who wants to tackle a project like this and learn the behind the scenes techniques that don’t come across as well when you are writing about them as opposed to showing.

As you can see from the close up how the foil changes to reveal less background color when I took this shot.

I am also working with some other foils that have some rather unusual effects that will be showcased in my upcoming video series.

If anyone has any particular questions about this process please leave me a comment down below or catch up with me on Facebook or any of the other networks listed on the right side of the blog. Happy painting!