The David Hicks Inspired Room

Remember the crocodile skin sample board I showed you a few weeks ago? Well, the project is done. I finished Friday. As I pulled the last piece of tape the housecleaners literally came down the steps to clean the area. I didn't have my memory card in my camera, there was a flurry to people and my client was eager for me to leave so they could get on with preparing for Saturday's Garden Party.

The room was unveiled to 50+ guests. I missed it because I got sick! I can't wait to show you the final pictures.

Street of Dreams Portland - Suede House

Did you happen to miss the paint color information sheets throughout the 'Suede' house? I may be biased, but I thought our house was the most exciting when it came to color on the walls.

I challenge many of you Portlanders to come out of your shells (and I mean that in the nicest way) and consider painting over all the builders white or tan/beige walls. You might even consider painting your ceilings something other than white. It can be done. The challenge starts now!

Below is the listing of all the paint selections for the 'Suede' house. Most of the palette was selected from Sherwin Williams, and all the metallic colors (with the exception of my wall) were Ralph Lauren.

If you're going use metallic paint on our walls note that they are challenging to apply. Careful of the roller marks. I advise you to practice on a sample board or piece of drywall, follow the manufacturer's instructions, use the extender that is sold separately from the product, buy and use the specialty roller cover and give it a go.

Custom Architectural Finish by Shakti Space Designs on Feature Entry Wall
SW7025 - Walls Flanking Entryway
SW7017 - Dining Room
RM32 - Dining Room Accent
SW7074 - Great Room
RM32 - Great Room Accent
SW7025 - Wet Bar & Kitchen
SW7074 - Downstairs Hallway
RM62 - Powder Bath
SW7017 - Entry to Powder Bath
RM25 - Downstairs Full Bath
SW7017 - Laundry Room
SW7621 - Master Bedroom
RM32 - Master Bedroom Accent
RM45 - Master Bathroom
SW7621 - Master Bathroom Water Closet
SW7017 - Master Bedroom & Bathroom Ceilings
SW7025 - Office
RM32 - Office Accent
SW7020 - Upstairs Landing
SW7036 - Upstairs Hallway
SW7038 - Upstairs Bedroom
SW7621 - Photography Room
RM57 - Upstairs Full Bathroom
SW7032 - Media Room
RM43 - Media Room Accent
SW7020 - Trim & Doors Throughout Home
SW7036 - Ceilings Throughout Home




Photos courtesy of: Portland Street of Dreams Blog, and NW Natural Gas Street of Dreams Magazine

Street of Dreams Portland - It's Not A Metal Wall

When you step into 'Suede' the first home in this year's Street of Dreams you might think the wall in front of you is made of metal. Really, really, it's not. It has been cleverly disguised. It is actually a specialty plaster - well three different colors and six layers of specialty plaster called Lusterstone. It's an architectural coating that produces reflective stone-like patterns and is one of the most versatile products I use.

The 9' metal water feature that greets you right away is definitely metal, and quite fabulous I might add. Crafted by John Xóchihua (pronounced So-chee-wa) of Aztec Artistic Productions. John was given a sample swatch of my wall finish and the color palette for the walls and went to work on his masterpieces. The two benches that flank the entry way made of reclaimed steel and natural slabs of stone are his creations as well.

Be sure to visit the Suede Home and oogle over the wonderful furnishings and architecture of this home. It's a showcase of possibilities for your own dream designs.

A big thanks to the following who made this project a success. I was proud to play a part:
Lisac Brothers Construction,
Michelle Pointer, Interior Designer - Whirlygig Designs
Maureen Pulicella, Interior Designer - Gallerie Nouveau Interiors
Sara Peterson, Interior Designer - Go Lightly
Lee/Eastman Contemporary Furniture
John Xochihua - Aztec Artistic Production
and many more...

In the next couple of days I'll be sharing the entire listing of paint selection for this home - stay tuned...

Faux Crocodile Skin Preview

Look what's cooking in my studio.

I'm working with Garrison on a project in his home. He and his partner are creating a beverage center in their foursquare Portland home. This will be the countertop and tabletop when it's all finished.

Oh, it's going to be fabulous! Stay tuned to see how it all comes together.

West Hills Glamour

I'm so excited about this project. I can't show you the dressed room just yet, but I wanted to tease you. Perhaps you'll come back and visit more often which will inspire me to post regularly.

One of my fabulous clients-turned-interior-designer, Garrison Hullinger brought me in on a recent project. A gorgeous home in the West Hills of Portland with some incredible decor. This client has amazing pieces already and is just adding and improving her collection of classic furniture pieces. It's truly my kind of design.

I was brought in to create a glamorous wall finish for this dining room. Here it is before. You can't see it well, but there's painted grass cloth wallpaper on the walls. It was removed.

Isn't that chandelier fabulous? It's been moved to the foyer and being replaced but something far better. I'll keep that a surprise.

This was the board the client selected and Garrison and I agreed happily. This is one of the most popular boards in my portfolio right now.

Here it is applied.


I love the smokey mirror that is going to stay in place as well as the sliding glass door to my right. The plaster has a subtle metallic sheen which you can see reflecting in that mirror. The natural lighting changes quite a bit during the day, as a result the finish will change as the light moves. It's an effect from this product that I love. This finish will be incredible at night with ambient lighting.

Oh, I can't wait for the final staging of this room. It's a treat to work with Garrison. He has impeccable taste! When there's a client involved that has great taste as well, it's even better.

I love my job!

2008 Street of Dreams - Portland

Welcome friends,


Are you ready for Portland's 32nd Annual Street of Dreams? It starts Saturday, August 16th and will be open for a month. Visit the website for more details and information. Hopefully you saved the discount coupon in your NW Natural Gas bill last month. Tickets are $17.50 this year!

I worked on the entry wall in the Lisac Brothers Construction home. You can see a sneak preview of it above. It's a contemporary home and the designers gave me a palette and let me have some fun. Thank you Michelle, Maureen and Sara!

My challenge... because the house was already completed I didn't get a chance to spec out the finish of the drywall. So, I was faced with knockdown texture. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, builders in the NW put texture on walls. Most of them apply orange peel which literally looks like the skin of an orange. Now the trend is to spray on texture and knock it down - a trend I hope doesn't stick around. The photo below is the knockdown before I got my hands on it and plastered away.

The wall doesn't look that big in the first picture, but I did need two tiers of scaffolding to work on it. See my ladder and scaffolding set up? Big fan of the aluminum scaffolding.

While I was working on the project I took a break to enjoy the incredible views of Mt. St Helens and Mt. Adams. I noticed a smoke cloud which turned out to be the Cold Springs Fire in Gifford Pinchot National Forest near Trout Lake due to a lightning strike.


I've been quite busy and hope to post some after pictures of some recent projects. I'll be back to tell you more about the Street of Dreams. Stay tuned.

Trompe L'oeil - the learning continues

I'm still here... plugging away, continuing to learn my craft and rediscovering all the foundational techniques buried in my mind. Skills I learned at Columbus College of Art & Design.

All the painting I've been doing lately has brought back a slew of memories. A journey so long ago that has lead me to where I am today.

My parents weren't jazzed about me going to art school. An art school how could that get me anywhere in life? Senior year I was introduced to a new high school and an amazing art teacher - Jill Crowe. She nurtured me and my talent and prepped me to win a two-year art scholarship. At that point my parents realized there was no turning back. If it were up to my father I'm sure I would have been an architect or an accountant somewhere in middle America. Secretly I think my mother wishes I would have followed in her footsteps and become a real estate agent.

CCAD was an entirely different experience than I anticipated and challenged me in many ways, but losing my father in the middle of it all was heart-breaking and sent me on a completely different path. I didn't see it's value at that time, and I was a little lost. I opted for the corporate world thinking it would have more to offer. So off I went for 15 years of hard work, moving myself back and forth, from coast to coast, working for small and mid-sized high-tech corporations. I became very involved with my work as a database marketer. I loved it! I loved being around technology, I loved being on the verge of new beginnings. I absolutely loved the technical and creative aspects of my day-to-day job. But then I burned out. I hit the wall.

Interestingly enough, five years before I hit that wall I voiced a goal out loud - to a financial planner of all people. In 1999 I stated that I would start a business in five years. I knew it would be a creative business, but at that time I had no idea what type of creative business. I thought millinery because I had developed this love for making hats, or perhaps it would be a home decor retail shop. Five years later I started my decorative painting business. I guess I have the corporate world to thank for burning me out and forcing me to take this business risk.

Here I am five years later and feeling I've come full circle. In so many ways like that freshman at CCAD once again, full of uncertainty and fear. This time I have knowledge and skills, but I'm afraid of the paint. Well, I was afraid of the paint until my class with William Cochran. William spent a lot of time nurturing us as artists. He reminded me to face my fear only by saying "It's just paint".

All this reminiscing of CCAD I started thinking about all of the professors that made the most impact on me - the ones that really took me as an artist to another level. Unfortunately in my research to find where they are today I discovered that Ron Augutis passed away. It was a very sad discovery, and he left us at a young age. I stumbled upon a blog of a former student of his who had posted this quote which I found quite apropos to my recent artistic endeavors.

"In order to make a painting you've got to use paint"...

-Ronald Augutis

Mr. Augutis, thank you and may you rest in peace.