Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio

2007-09-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here's some samples from our Venetian Plaster 3 class:

2007-09-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Check out some samples from our Venetian Plaster 2 class:

2007-07-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Featured SAFS Student Lucinda Henry

Owner of Shakti Studios for Design

An artist by nature and training, Lucinda Henry has cultivated and honed her creative talents through work in a variety of media over the last 23 years, culminating in the 2002 inception of Shakti Space Designs.

Lucinda is a truly talented Artisan and a great person to work with. You can read more about Lucinda on the SAFS site or visit Lucinda's site to view her portfolio and learn more about her work.

2007-06-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

The exterior at the LaQuinta job is completed and it looks great! We have a few shots of the fixtures that are going in the house and they are, without a doubt, as unique and fabulous as the finish. The combination of stone, dark wood, and metal against the back-drop of this beautiful, rustic Tuscany finish is epic. Take a look...

2007-05-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

This month's Seattle Homes and Lifestyles features a home with a polished Terra fire place surround and exterior accent wall installed by Crystal Lane -Sowell and Chris Sowell. The owners of this second home chose CAST Architecture to redesign the old ski cabin from functional but claustrophobic into a comfortably modern and airy retreat. As you can see from the photos the fireplace is truly the epicenter of the house. Nice job!

Seattle Homes & Lifestyles is on news stands now so you can pick up a copy today.

2007-05-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

We wanted to share an email from Featured Student Stuart Milner about an recent installation of Terra. Excellent job, Stu!

"Tell Aaron his memo [Tips & Tricks] last month on proper composition when doing distressed Terra/Tuscany was vital to correcting my bad habbits, I sent a few photos of a room I just finished in a distressed Terra, it came out perfect using that new technique. My client was a lil bit afraid by the looks of the cow hide technique on the scratch coat but was so amazed when the project was complete, lol thank you!!!"

Just a few pics, enjoy!

STU

Read more Tips and Tricks on our website!

2007-04-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

These are some project photos sent to us by Ron & Kristine Henshaw of Henshaw Murals. The work is amazing, beautiful, and inspiring. Ron and Kristine have both studied under Aaron. Kristine has this to say about her experience at SAFS; "I am very grateful to Aaron for the excellent training I received in his workshops. I took prodigious notes throughout his classes from which I still refer.

"Of particular value were his excellent insights into the business of decorative painting. I am convinced that his instruction saved me years of hard knock lessons. His knowledge and experience of materials and procedures is invaluable. I have always felt I could give a call when I needed technical support. Years later, I still, on occasion give a call for help."

SAFS will have more on Henshaw Murals on the Featured Student area of our website soon! But for now please enjoy these great images of their excellent work. You can see more on their website at http://www.henshawmurals.com/.

Thanks for the photos and letter Henshaws! It's always good to hear from graduates.

2007-04-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a great note from Jay Topping who was just up from California to take Jennifer Carrasco's Murals on Marmorino class. Jennifer has a tendency to evoke strong responses from those who are fortunate enough to spend some time with her:

Hey Jennifer: Well its been a few days since the class, and my head is still swimming with all the wonderfull things you taught us. Each day, I remember things that make me smile. Things like, when you taught us new ways of looking at objects and memorizing them, when I learned from you, that I can create art myself and not just copy someone else, when I learned about glazes, and how they give depth to your work. When I heard for the first time the pearls of wisdom you passed on to the class, The "'Jenniferisms" I called them, with fondness. That is just the tip-o-the-iceburg of what I learned from you. There is so much more. It was the best week of learning that I have ever had! And I appreciate so much your way of teaching. Your kindness, and nurturing shows that you have gifts that go beyond your art. You inspire poeple to create. And I count myself priviledged to have learned from you. I hope that learning continues into the future.

I want to keep building on my knowledge. I started drawing with pencil on the weekend, and drew my first still life of my lovely Krista Sophia reading a book in an upohlstered chair at her Aunt's house. She was good enough to not fidget or move for half an hour. It actually turned out pretty decent. And it felt wonderfull to draw her. Monumental even. Because it was my first time. She thought I was being funny and silly, but I was moved emotionally on a level that I can't quite describe fully. All I can say is that I thank you for being the person that opened that door for me, for descibing the joy of drawing, the neccesity of it to my future work. And I thank myself for allowing "Me"to take a healthy self indugence for the soul. I hope that makes sense. Can't describe it any other way. I have also made a list of things to do to start furthering my education. First I am joining SALI, and looking forward to the coming convention in July. I hope to see you and spend a few moments with you. I was wondering, can I ask you for your input about the best classes for me to consider if that's okay? I am also going to start looking for a local drawing class at night, for some continued help with that. Also, that book that you recommended is so great !!!"Paint watercolors that dance with the light". The author Elizibeth Kincaid turns out to be living locally in Soquel, just 15 min. from me. Her way of teaching drawing, patterns, and laying is similar to your methods, and she teaches in the area. So I am going to contact her for info. And that's just a start. Much more to consider. Maybe down the road, I will be able to afford your second class. I really want to do that. Time and funds will tell when. And then practice, practice, practice! And I hope to keep in touch with the class. Everyone was awesome in their own right. Lucinda, Cindy, Susan, were great learning compaions. And last but not least...... Jo....... Wild and crazy, loving and kind, self -effacing and giver of praise to others, expressive,sad Jo. She became endeared to us all. I am so sorry we did'nt get to say goodbye to her or get her info. If you do, could you pass that along to all of us, it would be appreciated. Her presence gave our class some kind of wonderfull energy. Well I had better get to work, or my bills won't get paid, and I won't have extra money for all the art supplies I covet. Ha! I am sending you a few choice shots of our day's of learning and wonderment last week. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Talk soon, my new dear friend,

Jay
Jennifer's next class will be held Monday - Friday, June 25 thru 29, 2007.
More Info

2007-04-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Good friend and customer Bill Kaiser has just opened up his own business in Bend, Oregon. Congratulations Bill! Bill's been working in the field for over 10 years, running large crews on beautiful homes, inside and out. He is a really hard working, talented guy.

Bill's new company is called Elite Plastering. Here's their website: www.eliteplaster.com

Bill's in the process of building out a beautiful showroom in downtown Bend, so when you're in Bend, check him out!

2007-03-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

Charlie Diaz owns and operates Casa Bella Studio, located in Los Angels. He successfully completed the TexSton Certification Course taught by S eattle Architectural Finishing Studio in Los Angles in 2005. Charlie’s technical skill and artistic talent make him a natural at decorative wall finishing.

On finding his way to this craft he says, “I started house painting back in 1985 in between tours in the music business just to make ends meet and man did I hate it!! I kept finding that (bleep) paint brush right back in my hands after every tour I did would end. I couldn’t wait to get back on the road again. After years and years of living in hotels and hectic touring schedules I was burned out and knew there had to be a better way. I realized that paintbrush was in my hand for a reason. It was an artist’s brush! I had some kind of weird awakening and realized there was more than just straight paint and that all those years of learning to paint houses was the biggest gift I could have gotten. I really knew paint. I started buying books on faux finishes. I worked with numerous artist and artisans and started developing my own finishes. my work became my play and I started accepting my inner artist, wow! Since then I started a company called CASA BELLA ARCHITECTURAL FINISHES. I wanted to create a place for artist and artisans to create their work and take it out into the community and have fun and make a living in doing so! Thanks to all of you guys at SAFS for teaching and creating this great art form so we can all find beauty in the world and help others to find their inner artist as well!”

You can view more examples of Charlie’s work at Casa Bella Studio. If you’d like to contact Charlie directly please email him at charliediaz@mac.com or call 310-396-9161 to discuss any projects that you have in mind.

2007-03-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

ALL NEW CLASSES!!! At Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio we are constantly working to improve our services for you. We have reformatted our curriculum to better accommodate your busy schedule so that you can fulfill your desire to learn new exciting skills. Below are just a few of the new classes that SAFS has developed with your success in mind. Just follow the links for detailed info on all of our new classes. As always; we want to hear from you! Please send an email to info@seattleafs.com and let us know how we can improve our services to better meet your needs!

Lime Based Plaster

Venetian Plastering; the Basics One-day Class
Venetian Plastering II; Three-dayTexSton Certification Class
Venetian Plastering III; Three-day Advanced Study Class

Cement Based Plaster

Professional Exterior Finishing; Two-day Class
Concrete Floor Staining and Stenciling; Three-day Class

Decorative Wall Finishing

Textures and Metallics; Three-day Class
Glazing, Graining, Marbling, and Stenciling; Three-day Class

Please visit the Classes section of the website for complete details on these classes and more!

2007-02-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

Come see us at the Seattle Home Show, February 17th - 25th! SAFS will be on display, loud and proud every day. This is a great networking opportunity that comes but twice a year. As a cool perk you'll get a one-year subscription to This Old House magazine included with paid adult admission. The Home Show always has new and exciting products to give you new and exciting ideas. There are great seminars and demonstations every day of the week that might change the way you look at the world, and more free stuff than you can carry. We'll see you there!

2007-01-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio's Aaron Cohen recently went to Palm Springs to lend his technical expertise to a massive residential Venetian plaster installation being done by former SAFS students Brent and Kent Reed. Brent & Kent had the benefit of working with the highly experienced and very talented Crystal Lane-Sowell and Chris Sowell.

The job is a interior / exterior install of TexSton Tuscanny cement-based plaster material in a two or three tone distressed application. The total square footage that Brent and Kent will cover is over 17,000 square feet and they will be applying over 1,000 gallons of material to the residence. Lots of very hard work, but it looks fantastic!

2006-12-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

An artist by nature and training, Lucinda Henry has cultivated and honed her creative talents through work in a variety of media over the last 23 years, culminating in the 2002 inception of Shakti Space Designs. Her early schooling at Columbus College of Art & Design focused on the study of Fine Arts -Illustration, but as years passed Lucinda’s artistic scope expanded to comprise a new range of media and techniques, including the enhancement of interior environments, which she studied at Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio under the instruction of Aaron Cohen.

As her work evolved, Lucinda realized that her true calling was not so far from where she started. Rather than illustrate books, she discovered her desire was to help homeowners create the background for their own unfolding life stories.

Her clients will tell you that she has succeeded.

Shakti Space Designs serves clients in the Portland, Oregon Metro Area and SW Washington.

This fireplace mantel is a recent small project for Lucinda. She completely transformed the boring brick (above) into the clean, contemporary fireplace (below) using TexSton Marmorino.

Marmorino is a modern version of ancient polished stucco, also referred to as Venetian Plaster, that can be used to create spectacular interior and exterior finishes. This project included staining the wood at the top of the mantle to more closely match the amoire to the right.

Please visit Lucinda's website to view more of her great work or contact her to schedule a consultation.

Web: http://www.shaktispacedesigns.com
Email: info@shaktispacedesigns.com
Phone: 503-998-2411

2006-12-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

There is always more to learn at Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio!

Twenty year Decorative Finishing veteran Randy Orr attended our most recent Architectural Wall Finishing class taught by Master Finisher Aaron Cohen. Randy wrote to us and said “I just wanted to thank you for the great classes last, I really enjoy my time and learned interesting aspects with these plasters. I love them! Being in the industry for over 20 years, it still nice to know that there is something new.

I have been by a few job-sites and designers offices in the past two days - the response has been great. I have four quotes to do this week requesting Marmorino and Frascati, so I will be ordering very soon”.

Randy has a thriving decorative finishing and restoration business in beautiful Vancouver, BC. To find out more about Randy’s work or to request a consultation visit his web site: Distinct Interiors.

2006-12-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

Find out about the people who make the magic happen at Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio!

New Instructor Bio’s have recently been posted on the SAFS site. Have you been curious to find out more about our founder Aaron Cohen? Been dying to know what makes Muralist Jennifer Carrasco do what she does? Ever wonder how the very talented Crystal Lane-Sowell found her way to us? Now you can find out what makes our instructors so great and our classes so rewarding. Just visit our Instructor Bios page for more info.

2006-11-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Carrasco demonstrates Venetian plaster and Venetian paint techniques. In her "Murals on Marmorino" class students work to produce at least three beautiful samples of decorative frescos.... one lyrical landscape based on a section of a Roman fresco in Herculaeum, one bas-relief Roman mosaic border applied in a two-step stencil technique, and decorative Roman motifs pounced, then painted in grisaille and glazed on a Marmorino panel.

The class covered a quick review of color theory, historical styles and motifs with an emphasis on the frescos of Herculeaum and Pompeii, the uses of acrylics with new and traditional glazing mediums, the application of final glazes and finishes, methods of framing in large murals, approaches for the business end of mural making and a thirty minute review of each student's portfolio.

For more information on Jennifer's mural class please visit the "classes" section of our web site at http://www.seattleafs.com/classes.php or to find out more about Jennifer Carrasco you can visit her web site at http://www.carrascomurals.com.

2006-11-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

Street of Dreams Venetian Plaster Finish
SAFS student, Sherri Gamble, wows them at Street of Dreams!

Sherri Gamble completed the wall finish in the wine cellar of Casa Monticitio, one of the fabulous mansions built for the 2006 Street of Dreams. Beautiful work, Sherri!

2006-11-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Featured SAFS student Shannon Kaye is the feature designer and host of DIY Network's new television show, Fresh Coat. Shannon shows homeowners how to create a fresh look in their homes.

She creates layers with her budding paint color collection, builds texture with a variety of tools and plasters, and designs patterns with thoughtfully laid and detailed stencils, mostly of her own design. "Whether I'm painting a whole room or a small canvas, I want to create surfaces that beg to be touched. I love things that look like they've aged gracefully- like they have a story to tell."

Check out the DIY article by clicking here or visit her profile on the Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio web site by clicking here.

Way to go Shannon!! Congratulations!

2006-10-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

This November 6-10 Master Muralist Jennifer Carrasco will be teaching class at Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio! Students will join us for this 5-day intensive workshop in mural making where they will learn to create gorgeous fresco-like paintings on Marmorino plaster. Students will combine Venetian plaster and Venetian paint techniques to produce at least three beautiful samples of decorative frescos.... one lyrical landscape based on a section of a Roman fresco in Herculaeum, one bas-relief Roman mosaic border applied in a two-step stencil technique, and decorative Roman motifs pounced, then painted in grisaille and glazed on a Marmorino panel.

If you are curious about this class please go to www.seattleafs.com/classes_murals.php# for more info or to register.

2006-06-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Photos from Jennifer's last Murals on Marmorino class:

2006-03-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

Here's some photos of the finished fireplace. After we smoothed over the brick we used Texston's Terra to give it a more contemporary feel.

2006-03-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

Almost done...

2006-03-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

We're also working on a red metallic leaf finish with Impasto this week at a really nice condo out in Issaquah.

Learned this one from John and Greg and made a few modifications I think help it go a little faster and look more consistent. I'll post some finished shots of this one at the end of the week.

2006-03-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Working all weekend on a couple of projects.

We're using Acrylic cement and fiberglass mesh here to level out a brick surround fireplace and a tile floor. We'll end up using Texston's Terra on the fireplace and the Bella Vernici concrete staining system on the floor. Here are some "before" and early "during" photos showing the cement and mesh going on.

I'll post "after" photos next week.

2006-02-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

Some Photos from the Seattle Home show.

2006-02-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

Below are some photos from one of our recent projects.
We did over 15,000 square feet here using Tuscany and Marmorino.

2006-02-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

More World of Concrete Photos!