historic ellicott city

Never Say Never

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Yeah, well...so I said I'm done with painting cabinetry. Its tedious, difficult, smelly, sweaty, and dirty. BUT after figuring out the nuances of my new system I think I'm ready to go again.  I decided to try out a new sprayer and use lacquer after hosting the Faux Team's class at my studio. You can read about that here.

I hit a few hiccups along the way. The first was getting to know my new sprayer. With a little help from a friend I was able to get up and running. Then I didn't realize HOW MUCH paint you had to use just to get the hose primed! Then something went "fishy" with the paint on the doors. Turns out there was a certain cleaning product that was used on them and it repelled the paint. Mind you I had SCRUBBED these doors well with TSP and wiped them clean then sanded and wiped clean AGAIN but the problem persisted. The only solution was to keep layering thin coats of paint and sanding back between each coat followed by a wipe down each time with Xylol.

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After the doors and drawers were completed it was time to tackle the kitchen itself. It took about two days to fully mask everything off. My intern's back was out so I was on my own. But once that was finished the spraying was cake. Not as many issues on the boxes so thankfully this portion went much more smoothly.

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Re-installation took about a half day and the results are stunning. I will never use anything else on cabinetry. The feel and durability of lacquer far outweighs the extra time and effort of setting up and spraying it, as well as the smell. It looks so professional.

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So....the clients have asked me back to do some other areas of their home. Never say Never!

BSO Decorator Show House 2015

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I'm so excited to finally share the work I did for Paula Henry of Simply Put Interior's Dining Room at this year's BSO Decorator Show House! The house was located in the Guilford neighborhood of Baltimore City.

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BSO 2015 0001

Paula and I wanted to do something unexpected and so we decided on a unique watercolor design. I painted the design by hand and with the help of Jeff Salava of Archival Arts and Matt Richardson of Indigo Ink, brought the design to life. The colors were inspired by a fabric as well as the beautiful sideboard. Paula wanted a fresh and bright look to bring this room into the 21st century. The room before:

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I am excited about this new avenue and hope to offer bespoke wallcoverings in the near future! Here are some more photos. Let me know what you think in the comments!!

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The Faux Team Class Recap

We had a BLAST this past weekend at the studio! Henri Menendez and Chris Burke, aka the "Faux Team" hit it hard with their expertise on cabinet refinishing and faux finishing work. We learned about how to apply professional finishes to cabinetry and furniture and Firenze Plasters. A lot of knowledge was shared and students came all the way from Upstate New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina....and TAIWAN!! Thanks to everyone for making it out, I hope you enjoyed Ellicott City and can't wait to come back! To find out about upcoming classes, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

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faux team group class

faux team group class

Studio Party Recap and Small Miracles Donation

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In case you missed it, a few weeks ago I made the decision that I needed a party. The reasons were numerous; winter needs to end, Cunningham Studios is officially up and running, and my Mom's birthday was on the 27th. In her honor I decided to donate 5% of any job or sale made during the month of March to her favorite charity, Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue in Ellicott City MD. Mom loved to volunteer at the shelter and often would foster kittens that needed extra care before being adopted. Two of those kittens became ours.

Mom with her boy, Leo.

Mom with her boy, Leo.

Our two furbabies, Ray Ray and Sancho Pancho.

Our two furbabies, Ray Ray and Sancho Pancho.

Despite the frigid temperatures, several friends, clients, colleagues, and family came out to party with me and I couldn't have been happier. I announced that as of the 28th I would be able to donate $1200 to Small Miracles. That may go up as there are a few more contributions in the mail. I'm sure mom would be thrilled.  A huge Thank You to everyone who came out to celebrate with me this past Saturday!

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Studio Party

Studio Party

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Thank you to Paula and April for taking pictures, I completely forgot!!

Parasites, Paint, and Friendship...oh my!

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Its all finished!

A few weeks ago Stacey and I, with the help of our amazing paper hanger Shelly Wilkins of Walls Etc., installed the final panel of the BRI mural. If you missed the progress, read about it here.

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We started the project back in October and little did I know how good it would be for my healing. Stacey is a very unique person. She is wise beyond her years, extremely talented, patient, and persistent. In her words it was "bashert" destined, predetermined, meant to be. This project landed at the perfect time. She was supposed to get a different project, slated to start earlier but that one fell through. This one came along and Stacey needed help and a place to work on this large piece.

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A month after my mom's passing we began the mural. The days were filled with painting and discussions about so many things like death, religion, spirituality, relationships, food, travel and love. It was great to just show up and paint and not worry about clients and business things. We also learned new techniques from each other. I taught her how to glaze and she taught me how to see beyond the reference material. Stacey also met my studio neighbors and commented on what a great place the West End is, how we check in on each other and help one another with things. I think she would move in if she could!

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The mural itself is spectacular. It shows the people affected by the debilitating parasitic disease Shistosomiasis. The mural depicts a family doing their daily chores of washing and filling bottles of water at a local pond. Stacey meticulously illustrates how the disease infiltrates the body and its devastating consequences if left untreated. The second half of the mural (executed first) shows the work being done by BRI in facilitating a mechanism for a vaccine through the doors of the "hut" and lastly the people walking away, immune now from Shistosomiasis.

Here are some more images of areas I painted.

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I was so happy to see this work installed and ready to move on to the next project but also a bit sad that our daily talks would come to an end. Stacey's next project is working on her son Jonah's Bar-Mitzvah and my next project involves glass, paint, and metal leaf. We will have to have regular lunch dates in order alleviate our withdrawal symptoms.

Stay tuned!