Can’t make it to our next Venetian Plastering 1 & 2 classes (this Saturday August 16 through Wednesday, August 20)? We just announced a new round of class dates!
Though it’s a bit early to predict the interior design trends for 2009, some are alreadysaying that Asian culture will be a major influence.
Tamara and Alison were working on using Japanese character stencils in the last Textures & Metallics class, but unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures (though you can see plenty of shots of other great work from that class here).
Here’s one of Aaron’s samples that uses Marmorino Classic and an Asian influence:
Have you used an Eastern aesthetic in your Venetian plaster work? Send me your photos if you’d like to see them posted here.
On this cool website commemorating Andrea Palladio’s 500th birthday, you can find itineraries for walking tours of Palladio’s villas in Vicenza, photos of his astounding architecture, a collection of quotes about Palladio, and more.
According to the site,
“Andrea Palladio is acknowledged today as the most important architect the western world has ever had. Over the last years, the decline of the modernist movement in architecture has aroused a renewed interest for the classical style and for Palladio’s works.
Spread all over the Vicenza and the Veneto area are dozens of magnificent villas and sumptuous buildings as the everlasting heritage of his architectural genius.”
Anyone who has taken a class here at Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio knows how seriously we take our lunches. Thanks to Leonardo and Kay Lynn’s remodeling, our kitchen is now as beautiful as our food.
Friend of the studio Jennifer Carrasco’s paintings look lovely against the new color of our walls!
Aaron recently started handing out a pre-completed Golden Proceed Metallics Color Chart to Textures and Metallics students. If you took the class a while ago, you might want to print this out to see the rich colors and effects you can make with metallics. The hard part’s done for you!
If you haven’t taken the class and want to practice creating those colors for yourself and adding shimmer and depth to your sample boards, why not start Monday?
Here are some photos from our last Textures & Metallics Class in April…
Stay tuned for another cheat sheet or two, coming soon…
We just heard from one of our recent Venetian Plastering 2 class graduates who is doing some really creative and impressive work with Stucco Italiano.
Grant Johnson, AKA Mud Man, tells us, “I thought I would send you a couple samples of something I am having fun with. I produce these small clay balls, and apply the marmorino and polish with small stones to get various effects. . . been able to get some great marbling effects.”
Click on the thumbnails to see all the beautiful details– great work, Mud Man!
A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity to Study Venetian Plaster Finishing Under an Authentic Italian Master Artisan
When: October 26-November 4, 2008
You already know that advanced technique is the key to differentiating yourself from your competitors.Your best customers crave authenticity and impeccable craftsmanship. Imagine being able to tell them you’ve studied with a true Italian master of your craft, and enhanced your education by studying masterpieces of decorative plasterwork in their original setting.Intrigued? We just added a new page about the trip to Italy. Find it in the “Pages” section located on the right-hand column of this blog, or click here to continue reading to learn about your chance to become a Master Venetian Plasterer in Italy.
Here’s a video we just posted with a tip about transitioning your distressed Venetian plaster finishes from the sample board to the wall:
Aaron discusses the importance of considering scale when planning the composition of your distressed Venetian plaster finishes. The example in the video is a distressed Stucco Italiano Intonachino.
Here’s a video we made during one of our recent Venetian Plastering classes here at Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio.We have another round of Venetian Plaster classes for every skill level coming up in early June– call us at the studio- 206.838.5888- to find out more, or click here to sign up.
We have a great trip planned this for fall for up to 12 lucky people, to visit the Veneto region of Italy where we’ll study the application of Venetian Plaster while staying in the historical town of Vicenza.
Giovanni Polistena, owner of Stucco Italiano, will be teaching the class. We’ll also have the opportunity to tour the Veneto region, and in particular visit some of the historical villas of Andrea Palladio. He was specifying polished Marmorino finishes 500 years ago, so we’ll get to see how well these lime plaster finishes stand the test of time.
Vicenza’s a wonderful city. I’ve stayed there twice in the past two years. It has some of Palladio’s greatest work in the town center, and is a great jumping off point to explore the Veneto region. It’s not as touristed as some of the surrounding towns like Verona, so you can really relax and enjoy life like an Italian when you stay there, at least that’s how I felt. The exchange rate’s kind of rough, no doubt. That’s one of the reasons we changed the dates this year from late June to the fall. Better air fares and better room rates. Plus at least half a dozen people said they definitely wanted to go but just couldn’t deal with being gone for 10-14 days during their busiest time of the year. So start saving now because I promise, it will be worth it - this will be a great trip!Here’s a link to a two page PDF with more details: http://www.seattleafs.com/pdf/italy_info.pdf If you’re interested give us a call at the Studio - 206.838.5888, for more info.
