You may have noticed that I have been absolutely HORRIBLE at accomplishing regular blog postings lately. Between a multitude of major new projects, trade show preparations, planning painting trips, and a honeymoon and a wedding (in that order), there seems to be precious little time to stop and EXPLAIN what I’m up to (and up against!). SO-this post is designed to cover a few topics at once, based somewhat loosely around a theme. Here goes….

Aaah, Italia. So enchanting, so delicioso, so artistically inspiring!! Italy is just one of the countries that have inspired the finishes offered in the upcoming European Cabinet Finishes class that we will be hosting here at the studio in June. Barb Skivington’s class draws from inspiration gained from past painting trips with me to both Italy and France, as well as finishes interpreted from the highly popular new Belgian look and what I see as an emerging trend towards Spanish-inspired design and fashion.

If you’d like to explore the possibilities and benefits gained from taking this class, Barb and I have created an informative free 30-minute webinar for the new Design Your Success site (another new project!) that details these elegant finishes and their possibilities for application. Barb has an extensive background as an artist AND and educator and was featured in this recent profile in The Faux Finisher that I authored.

Speaking of inspiring trips to Italy, and attempting a not so subtle segue; there is an upcoming opportunity for YOU to join us on a return trip to enchanting Italy this coming October. Gary Lord, Alison Woolley and myself are planning a return to the sights of two previous painting adventure tours, the Castello di Casigliano  in Umbria and La Fattoria di Maiano in Florence with our upcoming Art in the Heart of Italy trip.

These trips offer so much in addition to all the inspiration that the natural and man-made beauty of Italy provides.

The friendships that are formed through shared experiences…

and educational classes and group painting projects is truly unique and special. Are you feeling inspired?!

European Cabinet Finishes Class
Art in the Heart of Italy Trip

You know how when people ask you “what do you want for Christmas?” and you can’t think of anything off the top of your head. Well, that’s what happens to me anyway….Whether your list for Santa is long or short, you might want to consider asking for the gift that keeps on giving….and creating.

We now have Virtual Workshop Gift Certificates available in our online store. They are good for any Virtual Workshop offered in 2010, including the two current offerings: Foilin’ Around and Stencil Impressions. Coming soon are Patterned Glass and Mirror, SkimStone Surfaces and Marquetry Effects on Wood, Walls, and More! If you’ve been a good boy or girl and whisper in the right ear, you may just find one in your stocking this year….

I wrote recently about my friend Barb Skivington’s beautiful showroom and space in High Point, NC. Well a couple of weeks ago Barb was in MY house to teach one of her signature cabinet and furniture finishes workshops.

Barb has a wealth of knowledge about cabinet finishing, the product line that she uses, and how to be successful at selling these amazing and elegant surface treatments to high-end clients. Plus, she LOVES to teach!

Here, she demonstrates “tipping” on a raised resin ornament that has been applied to the initial raw wood of a hand-distressed cabinet door.

And now showing off a more contemporary Asian look. The class was called Artisan Cabinet and Furniture Finishes and was such a HUGE hit that we have scheduled a return trip for Barb. She will be coming west again for another amazing class, European Cabinet and Furniture Finishes.

This workshop offers distressed, stained and painted finishes, and multi-layered and textured specialty finishes-finishes inspired by the beautiful towns, cities and regions of France, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, and Belgium. According to Barb, who frequents the furniture showrooms in High Point, Belgium is BIG for 2010.

I, for one, am looking forward to learning how to replicate these lovely finishes! European Cabinet and Furniture Finishes Class, March 3-5, 2010

My good friend, Barb Skivington, has undeniably one of the loveliest decorative finishing teaching studios in the whole country-Faux Works Studio in High Point, NC. Besides a state-of-the-art studio area, it also includes an elegant showroom full of interesting decorative treatments. Many of the featured treatments incorporate Modello patterns. Am I biased? Maybe. Are they fabulous? Definitely. Take a look…

Multiple Modern Allover patterns are worked into an allover metallic wall treatment. The tile idea is a great way to work in different patterns and slight color variations while maintaining a cohesive look, don’t you think??

This is one of our exclusive Marquetry patterns, MarqAll106 done on cork tiles in the coffee bar area. One of the benefits of staining pattern on unfinished cork tiles (as we did also in our showroom spaces at Modello Designs) is that you can do the pattern work prior to installation-much easier than working down on the floor!

An allover Eastern Lattice pattern, EasAll106, painted on a table in the teaching studio.

Some custom Typography to define different workshops and the unique finishes that Barb teaches.

Barb will be teaching one of her famous cabinet finishes classes here at our San Diego studio this November. The class is sold out, but you can find Barb teaching both at her own studio and other great studios around the country throughout the year-including a “date-to-be determined” back here in San Diego. Just check the Workshop page on the Faux Works Studio website.

The reviews are in for the very first Virtual Workshop, Foilin’ Around. It was a “challenge” working through some of the technical difficulties and limitations of the webinar format, but I think I “have it down” now! I need to thank my great inaugural group for their patience, support, contribution, AND nice comments!

Just finished Melanie’s Virtual Workshop. It was great!! It was just like we were there. As usual, Mel gives mor than I expected for something like this. The foils are awesome in their own beauty!! Didn’t realize they could add so much to a finish. -Janet Gonzales

Loved it!!! Awesome job Melanie! Looking forward to many more; very inspiring! THANK YOU!!! -Denise Lindstrom

I have already learned alot from the videos and can’t wait to play around with some of these finishes. I really also appreciate the chance to purchase these items at this great rate. Thanks again for putting this together and I’m sure I’ll be taking your future virtual workshops. -Mignon Hunter

I loved, loved, loved this innovative virtual class!  No matter how much you think you know about this business, there is always something new to learn — and I learned so much from this session.  We’ve already reproduced several of the finishes with great success.  The videos were clear and concise and beautifully filmed and the supporting documentation was detailed and completed the experience.  This was definitely worth my time and I’m looking forward to the next — Stencil Impressions.  Thank you Melanie for always being such a great source for knowledge and inspiration. -Barb Skivington/Faux Works

Thanks so much for all the work you put into the Foilin’ Around virtual workshop.  And it’s obvious that you put a LOT of work into that class. I’ve always been an admirer of your innovative finishes and your ability to describe the techniques so well in person and in writing.  The virtual workshops take your talents to a whole new level, and I’m pleased to have been a participant in your first virtual workshop. I’m glad you decided to have students in future workshops view the videos in advance of the online discussion. When I viewed the videos I did have some questions, but I found the answers in your Power Point presentation.  But still, I found the real-time online discussion to be interesting and informative. Thanks for all you do in the world of decorative finishing. -Kate Kiernan

The trick to doing anything well in the end, I think, is to make it “look” like it was easy all along. Whether it’s a decorative finish, an edited video, or a 3 minute samba on Dancing With the Stars, that final shining ”ta da” moment only comes after a lot of mistakes, lessons learned, dedication to keep moving forward, and hours of grinding out a lot of practice and hard work. Once the memories of all the stress, hair pulling, and performance jitters fade, you find that you actually CAN do something, anything really,  by always venturing to take one more step forward, no matter what. Sometimes that requires a bit of back-stepping as well, but that’s all part of the dance, isn’t it? Next up, Stencil Impressions……

I’m going to tell you a secret. I’m in the middle of a major love affair. With Metallic Foils. I began innocently enough…I thought I’d do it just once…maybe twice, and get it out of my system. Then I fell into the shiny, shimmery trap. It’s so easy to do and so hard to resist….I keep going back. There is so much to explore, so many senses to touch, so many creative desires to fulfill!

As time wore on, I discovered new ways to do it with stencils, Modello patterns, different techniques, unusual tricks. My passion isn’t fading. I need to share it. I want everyone to feel the way I feel…and so, I now offer you the chance to indulge YOURself with-the Foilin Around Virtual Workshop

I’ve shared the results of my passion here before, and even as recently as the canvases I just created for our HD Boutique booth, all done with Metallic Foils. I’ve stocked our shelves with the most amazing colors, and even given them more enticing pricing. If you don’t want to make a HUGE commitment (just have lunch!), we have metallic foils both by the roll AND by the yard…..tempting, aren’t they??

Our first Foilin Around Virtual Workshop is this Thursday at 6:30pm EST. You can enroll in the class up until noon on the day of the workshop. Remember, no travel required. I’ll come to you….

….and if you missed it, all the details on Virtual Workshops are just below.

I distinctly remember driving to teach my first-ever stencil class to a group of 4 at at a downtown art gallery some 16 years ago. Always battling shyness and a mortal fear of public speaking growing up, my nerves made me so nauseous I didn’t think I would make it through the first five minutes. Fortunately, I never barfed all over my stencil brushes, and I think even managed to teach and inspire my little group about the joys of artistic stenciling. Growing little by little from that class to teaching 100′s of decorative artists from all over the country in my own studio, and even traveling all over the country myself to teach 100′s  more students in other’s studios-I started feeling like I finally “had it down”.

Apparently though, being comfortable is not REALLY a comfortable place for ME (just a personal, objective observation based on years of experience living with myself). Instead of continuing on with a tried and true formula, I decided that I HAD to do something different. This wasn’t a completely rash decision….it was based on some real facts: the economy sucks and it’s hard for people to bear the high cost of travel, new technology makes it easier to deliver information and knowledge in cost effective, cutting edge ways, and our time has become a precious commodity with many demands on it. There HAS to be another way to learn new decorative finishing techniques than taking a whole week away from work and home to incur the travel and lodging costs that are necessary to get quality studio training from an experienced, creative professional. The web has become a fast and powerful tool for communication and information sharing though video, downloads, and chat….

…and so I decided to create Virtual Workshops for professional decorative finishers-and those that aspire to be!

The idea is to pack the new information and skills you normally gain from a whole 3-day studio class into a few hour evening session, with me, at your computer screen. By using a combination of pre-recorded videos (1 for each technique) interspersed with powerpoint presentations, additional documentation, commentary, and question/answer sessions, I feel that I can impart my knowledge and experience in a most effective way. Unlike a regular class though, students will have access to the WHOLE recorded session that they can go back and review at any time-you know, in case someone wasn’t paying attention….

Once you’ve got the critical information and watched ME do it, how about the hands on!? Well, that’s on YOUR own time and schedule….you can spend the Saturday after the Thursday evening class banging out a slew of beautiful new sample boards to add to your portfolio (suggested!)-or sleep in and just do one here and one there. Each Virtual Workshop includes a complete list of the patterns, material, and tools needed to complete each new finish. You are welcome to purchase any and all of these from us at Modello Designs, at discounted prices with free shipping. Or not! Most professional decorative finishers will already have the majority of the tools, supplies and mediums needed to recreate the finishes already in their studio closets, or garage, or car, or wherever you guys keep all that stuff!

But where’s the class camaraderie?? A lot of the fun of a hands-on workshop is the sharing that goes on with other students, and it adds a lot to the learning process as people share their own experiences, tips, war stories, and successes. To bring this important aspect into Virtual Workshops we have created a special, private message board where attendees can continue to chat, post photos, and ask more questions. There are always more questions….

…and so what is the cost for these killer 3-day class-in-a-bottle sessions that include ongoing review and support at any time, that you don’t have to leave home or take a week off work to attend, that don’t include airfare, gas or hotel expenses, you ask? Well, I say, a mere $150. But wait-actually less, because your enrollment includes a $50 credit towards product purchases post-session!

So, if you’re open to learning something (actually a LOT of things) new in a new way, meet  me in one of our Thursday evening Virtual Workshop sessions around 6:30 EST. My public speaking skills are greatly improved, I’m just a little bit shy, and yes, my stomach is a bit nervous…..

This coming weekend, I will begin filming the instructional video portions for my upcoming Virtual Workshops. It’s been a good 5 years since I’ve done one, and besides worrying about all of the things I have to do to prepare tools, materials and backgrounds for this, my thoughts have inevitably turned to another important consideration: How am I going to look? Yes, OK, I have a healthy-sized vain vein running through my body! SO, I call on the makeup artist who did the makeup for me in my previous videos, Doris Lew Jensen, to give me a “lesson”. You see, I’m imagining that I will be doing many videos in the next year and that I can certainly wield a makeup brush or two on my own behalf. Well, a full hour and….

…12 specifically designed makeup brushes later….

….I had a blueprint for beauty, and…

..I’m ready for my extreme closeup.

I’m so thrilled with my eye-popping eyes that after everyone else leaves work I decide to play “model session”

Yeah, I’m not expecting that America’s Next Top Model will be calling me anytime soon either….I’ll get back to painting my samples for my workshops now….

I just love the work of Raina Gentry of Raintree Studios, and not just because she has taken decorative finishing classes with me and also now uses our Modello Decorative Masking Patterns as a basis for most of her mixed media fine art. You see, she will often start with a Modello pattern to create a subtly textured background, upon which she addes paint, charcoal, and ink. It’s the colors, the compositions, the energy, the emotional response….

When Raina works on her canvases, she allows each piece to evolve naturally, without structure or expectation about the final outcome. Through this organic approach, Raina believes that she taps into, and expresses, universal themes that many people can identify with. She herself sometimes doesn’t discover the true meaning of the work to her until years later.

Raina will be teaching her techniques in a hands on workshop at the upcoming art retreat, Art Unraveled 2009 in Phoenix, AZ. Raina’s workshop at Art Unraveled is called “Controlled Chaos”. During this workshop students will learn her artmaking process that will help them tap into their creative subconscious, to work more intuitively, and to experiment as a way of developing new skills. This approach will help students overcome some of the roadblocks that many emerging artists experience in relation to “performance anxiety.” Students will learn a series of techniques that will keep them moving forward with their paintings, have more fun with their artwork, and get them more in touch with their intuition.

Raina sells her original work as well as archival prints of her mixed media canvases through her website Raintree Studios. You can also keep up with Raina’s studio work on her Facebook Page!

I’m so happy to announce that my good friend Barb Skivington of Faux Works Studio in High Point, NC will be coming out to San Diego to teach one of her famous and highly regarded cabinet and furniture finishing workshops at my studio this coming November. All of the training will be done on exquisite cabinet doors that will be finished in class using both HVLP spray and hand applied techniques. Barb has created a whole new series of finishes for the premier of this Artisan Cabinet and Furniture Finishing class using both Royal Design Studio stencils and Modello Designs Decorative Masking Patterns. While the incorporation of the patterns adds an additional custom touch, the underlying finishes are all classics that can stand alone with ease. Below are six of the amazing eight samples that will be taught and mastered.

Cabinet and furniture finishing and resurfacing are HOT and an important and potentially profitable niche market to excel in during this ecomomic “down time”. Register by July 31, 2009 to save $145 on this premier workshop!