Faux Demo Seminar Huge Success!

Faux Finishing Demonstrations and Seminars

 Update  May 12th, 2012

If it were not for these very special people who were at the

“What To Know Before You Faux”

demo event on Saturday August 8th, 2009 at the Miromar Design Center, Estero Fl

With the help of artists and friends of mine who were an asset to the out come of this event, I would like to mention their names once again and thank them publicly with this post update for all their help at the Faux Demo Seminar.

First of all Pj Hoover of Fauxtastic Dreamscapes who was by my side for the whole summer of 2009 with these events, came to my rescue more than once. I can not say enough about her, she really believed in what we were trying to accomplish in Southwest Florida and we were actually creeping up on our goals of bringing awareness to the art of painted decoration which has been around for thousands of years and building a network of high quality artisans and craftsman with the Faux Demos and Seminars.

I was really quite surprised at how many people that I met this season still have not heard of Faux Finishing,  so once again I will be bringing public awareness to the art of decoration, trompe loeil and mural painting in 2012 with my updated version of

Faux Finishing Demonstrations and Seminars

Our goal in 2009 was to bring decorative artists out of their proverbial shells and join us on our journey to create a more open atmosphere amongst local and non-local area artists, home owners, Interior Designers, builders, vendors of high quality products and to meld the creativity between ALL artists no matter what their specialties or mediums are, because decorative art shouldn’t just stop at the walls, ceilings or canvas.

Watch this video all the way through, I do try to make the faux finishing demonstrations can be fun, but at the very end of this one I say something that really was not intended to be funny and I was actually embarrassed after I realized what I had said, You’ll love it! I know the crowed sure did

The second faux finishing artist I wish to thank for his quick thinking and response to a rather over whelming influx of guests to the Faux Demo Seminar that seemed to be coming through the door like a Florida hard rain that we had to scramble to gather more chairs for the standing room only crowd. He also has been with PJ and I from the very beginning of our quest is none other than

Florian Spahiu of Ancient Modern Finishes.

I also have a special thank you that it is much deserved going out to

Michael Schleider of Coni-Mar Designs of Naples,

who showed up right when it couldn’t have been better, to help seat all the guests. I must say between all of them jumping up to the plate in the middle of the ninth inning enabled me to hit a home run with the crowd, and bring what I thought was a game winning team effort to this

Faux Finishing Demonstration and Seminar

It seems that there is a separation with faux finishing and the artists community that has been created over the years here in Southwest Florida and it wasn’t by choice or market demand or anything of that nature , it just happened………fate?……..who knows, but my goal, or maybe I should say OUR goal, was to break down that wall and expand our creative energies amongst all artists and to include everyone in Southwest Florida. Art just doesn’t just stop at the canvas, sculpture, photograph, graphics or in our case the walls.

One of the most inspirational artists I have met so far on my life long journey as an artist, who really opened up my mind and my eyes to how important it is to the psyche of an artist to expand and grow with his or her creative energy was William Cochran who I have had the honor to sit with quite a few years ago when I was experiencing an “artist’s block” from hell. Excuse the language but there is no other way to express this nightmare.

 Others include Sean Crosby (USA) who I have met many years ago along with Michele Nadai from France, and there are so many others.

I have noticed that much of the area residents love the arts but because decorative artists have such a separation from other artists we are not being recognized both publicly and privately so in general the public doesn’t really know where we are and this has caused an outsourcing scenario when it comes to the needs of the local faux finishing market here in Southwest Fl.

My goal is to change all that and to bring the available Faux Finishing talent of the area to the attention of the local and seasonal residents as a way to help our  local economy and decorative artists.

The other goal is to bring more education to Southwest Florida for all artists in our area because quite simply most of us here don’t either have the time or the funds to travel around the country and/or Europe to get the much needed education that I have found a demand for.

Due to some circumstances that had all but destroyed the efforts of our work in the latter part of 2009 I still continued on with the Faux Finishing Demonstrations and Seminars and I will continue to do so in 2012. I still strongly believe in communicating and sharing knowledge freely with all artists and others alike who want to know and learn more about the arts no matter what barriers or challenges that are thrown before me.  I believe art can save ones soul as it has saved mine and I will not quit because of others egos, greed or attempts at destroying the good that comes from teaching and opening up the minds of those who really want to experience the satisfaction of expressing ones inner ability of creative freedom that exists in each and everyone of us. When it develops into a passion it is then that your desire and drive becomes unstoppable.

I look forward to seeing everyone who wants to experience and learn more from my

Faux Demo Seminars in 2012