The Importance of Picking Your Friends (or Mentors) Wisely

Sometimes events or people in your life just seem to "happen" randomly and you refer to it as "fate" or just good luck.  However, I think there is much more that goes on behind the scenes of our lives that impacts us so much.  Like meeting someone and just having a connection that is very hard to describe.  That is what happened well over 6 years ago when I finally got to meet a lady that I had been visiting with via the phone for over 2 years.  I had gotten her business card from Whitman Cellars, a winery that just shouted FANTASTIC WINE not necessarily because the wine was or wasn't great- but because the owners cared enough about making their tasting room absolutely beautiful by hiring this artist to work her magic on the walls, and therefore they must also care very deeply about crafting fine wine.  This is also true about how your home reflects your values and your personality.  That is why being a wall artist and creating the  personality of the homeowner through decorative wall art is so rewarding.

My new friend, who quickly became my mentor was Donna Maiden of "Maiden Design" and as I shadowed her for the next six years on jobs around the Walla Walla, WA and Milton Freewater, OR area, my respect and admiration continued to grow and grow.  I have taken countless classes from highly respectable teachers within the industry but making sample boards is one thing.  Putting that technique to the wall atop a 20 foot scaffold, dragging 80 pound buckets of Italian Plaster up the ladder and using way too many rolls of painters blue tape to mask around wood brings on a whole new meaning to the words...wall art.

I found that Donna's love for creating art and beauty in her client's homes or in commercial settings (especially wineries) was at the top of her priority list, just below "grandkids".  She blew away the hesitation on my part to just jump right in and create, carefully guiding me along as I put to work the techniques I had been taught and then she showed me how it was done in the "real world". 

I have spent many hours with this gal and have just about split a gut laughing at her silly comments, listening to her sensitive responses when a client can't make up their mind on the personality they wish their home to take on, or just soaking in many words of wisdom.  My favorite is "smoke and mirrors".  If she did not know exactly how to achieve the finish a client wanted, she would spend hours researching, creating sample boards and asking for constructive criticism until she achieved the perfect finish for that client. 

I don't know if she really knows just how much she has affected my life or just what an inspiration she has been to me all these years.  Because of her, I have had opportunities to work with mediums I would most likely have shyed away from, she has given me the assurance within myself to tackle jobs I would have been afraid of, and she gave me the respect as an artist that I really desired and needed.  She may not be some high paid teacher but she is the best art teacher I have ever been lucky enough to tutor under.  Thank you Donna, for your friendship and your mentoring. 

These pictures are some of the projects I have worked on with her and the finishes that she lovingly creates.  As an artist, we take pride in our work but it is also very gratifying to share our knowledge, good and bad experiences, and just help other artists along in their journey.  This is also a Biblical principle found in Titus II that as women we are to teach others what we have learned.  I hope I can help others and share my knowledge along the way.  You may find that what you give away comes back two-fold and that is quite a blessing.

Collaborate and Innovate

I periodically see articles that really hit the spot and a recent one sent by Alyson Stanfield, a marketing coach with ArtBiz.com. did just that.   You know how sometimes you feel like the pastor has been listening in on your private thoughts because the sermon he just gave seemed to be directed totally at YOU.  Well, maybe some of you don't have a guilty conscience and have not experienced that but how about when you just seem to have bitten off more than you can chew and rather than coughing some up and admitting that you have done it, you would rather quietly just sit there and choke!

This article seemed to be written especially for me as I feel like I have got too many irons in the fire and if I don't watch it, I just might get burnt.  See what your personal take on it is.

In order to innovate, something that takes time and energy has to go.  When you have no extra SPACE on your plate you need to delete, along with working smarter not harder.  There needs to be a challenge in order to get me motivated.

Ask yourself some questions like:

Are you a member or leader of an organization that is no longer serving you?
If you are doing something that you think might not be working ask yourself:

Is it fun?
Is it a challenge?
Am I learning anything?
Am I working too hard and not smart enough?

The answers to these questions should reveal alot of things that maybe you didn't even have the time to think about before.  You only get one shot at life, this is not a dress rehearsal.  Therefore, make each day count and if you are not truly enjoying what you are doing you had better figure out what will make you happy and DO IT!

I love to create and do my art.  I don't like computers but it seems to be a necessary evil in order to allow my "fun" jobs to expand and allow me to do what I like. I love cooking and teaching my gals new and differant dishes they can fix for their families. I also like to spend time with my kids and grandkids.  Maybe the next article will be about finding "balance".  I can't wait to see what suggestions there may be.

If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Allow Your Home to be a Journey Through Time With Textured Fresco

Inspired by plastering methods once used by craftsmen in ancient Rome, the Old World Look can offer a unique, handcrafted appearance that has incredible depth and dimension.  These dimensional qualities offer a journey through time by reproducing the characteristics of aged, weathered walls-adding a  true sense of history to your home.  This finish is fantastic for new homes as it gives instant character, yet is also perfect for older homes that may already be sporting some "character lines" with cracks in the wall that you no longer want to hide but enhance!

If you would like to create this look for yourself, I would suggest following these easy steps.  Before taking on any project, you should always do a sample board for your finished look as there is a learning curve to any new products and tools.  I always create a sample board for my client's project, even if I have done the technique 50 times before.  Using the colors chosen by the homeowner, they will have a very good feel for what their room will look like when completed.  Be sure to always keep in mind however that because this is an artistic piece of work, the design varies though out the finished wall.  This will give you a "one of a kind" finish and unique to your personal home.  Of course the colors remain the same but the variance of color and pooling gives the highly sought after look and artistic balance.  If you prefer an "exacting" finish you should chose wallpaper, that any other homeowner can purchase.

Remove all furniture, cover floors and anything you might not want to be "wearing" plaster.  Tape off all areas around doors and windows.  You may also need to wash the walls with TSP cleaner to remove any dirt or grime before starting.

Apply plaster with a small sea sponge mini roller in a curving, sporadic motion.  Only work on an area that you can manage easily.  Don't get too far ahead of yourself because while this plaster is still wet you want to follow by back troweling with a 10" rounded trowel to smooth down the texture of the plaster.
Continue around the entire room.  Allow to dry completely.

When dry, apply 2 coats of matte paint in the desired color.  Use a sash brush to cut around the edges of doors and windows and then while still wet blend these edges into the body of the wall.  This is very important because if you do not blend you will end up with a framed look around the wall and that is not very attractive.Dry completely

Mix glaze and your choice of color for the final finish.  Apply small amounts of the glaze mixture in a random circular action using either a mitt, brush and leon neon or whatever tools produces the finish you are wanting.  Once again, continue across the walls working wet into wet and blending all edges so there are no harsh edges.

To complete approximately 400 square feet of wall space it will take 2-3 days allowing for dry time.  If you would prefer not to attack such a project please feel free to contact me via email at:val@surfacesolutiondesign.com or calling 509-991-8334.