THE STROGANOFF MUSEUM On my quest to find decorative painting around the world, during the annual salon event, I found these gems in St. Petersburg, Russia. This is part one of a two part blog. History- The Stroganoff’s were Russia’s most influential and wealthy family whose entrepreneurship was significant within the patronage of the arts. The […]
Trompe l’oeil ornament
August 2, 2016 by 3 Comments
Here is the finished painting of the trompe l’oeil ornament piece I completed at Salon in St. Petersberg, Russia. I was asked to do a live demonstration about a large scale ceiling ornament that is meant to be looked at from a fair distance. The scale of the ornament accentuates the shadows and highlights to be more legible. […]
Salon 2016-St. Petersburg
July 15, 2016 by 1 Comment
Salon 2016 Salon 2016 was held in Russia this year in the cultural center of St. Petersburg. This annual event for the International Decorative Artisans League was hosted by Tatiana Rugers. The theme for Salon 2016 was “Art in the City” and below is a part of a panel someone did of the city. This was the main showroom […]
Ebony Woodgrain
July 27, 2015 by 3 Comments
Here is a how-to for Ebony woodgrain. It is a 3-step process to create this rich and heavily-grained wood. If you use a fast drying medium like matte medium, it’s possible to do all 3 steps in one day — or at least 2. Below is a light version of real Ebony wood. Often, you […]
Real Faux Stone
June 9, 2015 by 1 Comment
This a real faux stone because it mimics cut stone and not just a textured surface, which is a common mistake when creating faux stone. This may look ok, but it isn’t realistic. Real, cut stone would be smooth to the touch but pitted (recesses). To start, a tinted (off-white) primer was applied. The texture […]
Switch plate covers to match tile
February 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
On a recent trip to Utah, we completed a series of switch plates — this switch plate cover matched the tile in a bathroom. The first thing we did was take a picture of the plate. Then, it was brought back to my working station in the house. We were given 2 actual tiles for […]
The Deerhoof
August 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The Deerhoof is the ultimate striping brush! Much like the Rondin brush, the deerhoof is ideal for striping color or size on small, and tight spaces. However, the deerhoof’s shape offers a distinct slant which allows for optimum surface contact. It’s densely-packed skunk hair makes this a great brush to use over rough surfaces. A […]
Italy class panel is complete!
May 15, 2014 by 2 Comments
We are proud to announce that the Italy class panel is complete! This panel will be painted on canvas by students in 8 days with instructors Pierre Finkelstein and Carolina d’Ayala Valva (author of this great book). This class takes place in Rome on September 13-22, 2014. Class Info: This workshop consists of 8 days […]
American College of the Building Arts
April 10, 2014 by 2 Comments
At the end March, 2014, I attended the American College of the Building Arts annual festival in Charleston, SC. My friend and fellow decorative artisan, Patrick Webb invited me down to visit and give a few lectures to students. Patrick is an instructor of plaster works and asked me to teach his students about my […]
NYC Trompe l’oeil Class 2013
December 11, 2013 by 1 Comment
Our NYC trompe l’oeil class for 2013 was a success! We had a full house of students in our tiny little Manhattan studio. The students began the 3-day adventure with a medallion study. This is an invaluable exercise that forces the student to learn by repetition. See post on this study. Once the students had […]
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