Posts Tagged ‘Venetian Plaster’
One day I walked into my workshop and felt totally uninspired. There were no projects on my agenda, no pressing faux finish samples that needed to be created nothing to that needed to be done. So I fumbled through some magazines I had laing about when I came across a story about an interior designer in San Diego working. The story featured a room in which she had commissioned a New York City artist to create a Pompeii panel.
The panel was created by some big deal artist and came with a big deal price tag, some $ 6,000.00. The panel looked nice, but not 6000 dollars worth. That was when I decided that I could closely reproduce that Pompeii panel for much less money.
All I had to go by was the photograph as there was no mention of materials or process. I examined the photo closely to see if I could discern telltale signs of a venetian plaster application or other decorative or faux finish application method. As it turned out, I couldn’t get a clue as to what went into making this Pompeii panel. So I decided to wing it.
I’m familiar enough with venetian plaster, faux finishes and decorative painting techniques that I could put something together that would look great. But, I also wanted make sure I could execute this panel without spending too much time on it. You see, I’m always looking for a way to market whatever I create so this Pompeii panel had to be practical too.
In the next few posts I will describe step by step the process I followed to make the Pompeii panel you see below. I will use no authentic venetian plasters will show you that you don’t even need an artist brush. 
If you are a decorative artist in San Diego or are contemplating dipping your paint brush into the world of Faux Finishes, then consider yourself lucky. San Diego has a wealth of resources for the aspiring decorative artist. This article will be one in a series describing the kind of resources available both in terms of artistic education and raw materials available.
I’ll cover everything from Venetian Plaster to stencils to glazes and even some innovative uses of metallic foils and other decorative textures. Decorative painting, be necessity, has become something of generic term these days. The Faux Finish artist can now incorporate several new materials and techniques into his or her portfolio and San Diego as you will discover is just the place to learn these techniques.
I will also detail a few interesting ways of using textured materials that yield finishes that can be elegant and or rustic, using inexpensive materials from Home Depot. I’ll incorporate metallic paints with glazes and stencils with Venetian Plaster and foils with stains and on and on.
Along the way, I will give you a list a schools in and around the San Diego area that teach faux finish techniques and sell a variety of decorative painting and venetian plaster materials, I’ll also throw in my assessment of their “value”.
Stay tuned, there will be a lot to learn and benefit from in the coming weeks.
Completed in 2007, the Shaw condominium required the workmanship of several artisans in many fields. My contribution was as decorative painter and faux finish artist.