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

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.

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

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

West End Studios Art Opening Recap

In case you missed it, we had four of our artists who have studios at the West End of Ellicott City participate in an art show at my studio. The way it all began was Bill Knapp, Ewan Tulis, and I were kicking around ways to get our work out there and make some contacts and possibly sales of our work. I offered up my space because its the biggest one and set the date. (In retrospect we will keep this event in the cooler months, particularly Spring and Fall, because the lack of air conditioning made it rather warm.) Having a date on the calendar, and announcing it on Facebook, made it official so we were on! The week before we began with figuring out how to set up the space. My dear friend and designer Paula Henry helped with the plan. She's good at laying out rooms and with flow of traffic. Plus the four of us artists were too close to our own work to really see how best to set it up. An outside perspective was what we needed. After that, I draped all of the tables and covered the less sightly things like paint shelves, slop sink, and ladders with canvas drops.  Finally we were able to start hanging art and installing lighting. Bill and Ewan did an incredible job with what we had on hand and surprisingly it actually looked like a gallery!

Friday evening we had our "Reception/Preview Party" and had plenty of snacks and beverages on hand. Several friends came by and our first piece was sold! I had been so worried that it would be a total flop and no one would show. So when so many people came and we made a sale I was over the moon. Whew!

Saturday saw more people come through and by the evening we were ready to wrap. The reason it was only two days was that it is my working studio and I had to get back to work. It was bittersweet to have to strike the show but so glad it was a success.  We are planning to do another one in Spring, with other members of the West End Studios. In case you didn't know we have 9 artists up at the West End!

The next event that will have our studios open will be the second annual Artwalk coming up on October 11th. Check out our Ellicott City Arts Coaliton website for more information.

Stay tuned for more art!

First Decorator Tag Sale a Success

If you are friends or follow me on Facebook, or subscribe to my newsletter, then you may have heard that we had a Decorator Tag Sale at my studio this past weekend.

Five Interior Designer friends that I work for and I decided to host a Tag Sale at my studio because we all had so many items left over from Show Houses, staging, or clients. Things like excess fabric, accessories, furniture, pillows, art, and even rugs were available. If you are unfamiliar with what a Tag Sale is, its when several vendors have items for sale. If you like something, you take the tag of that item (if its large) or the item itself and take it to the person who owns that item to buy it. Kinda like an upscale yard sale.

It was such a success that I plan to have another one with several other designers this coming November, just in time for holiday shopping and decorating.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, sign up for my newsletter, or subscribe to my blog (lower right corner) to find out when the next one will be.

Thanks to Paula Henry, Trish Albano, Jane O'Donoghue, Carol Weil, Wendy Appleby, and Barbara Brown!!

And our next event at Deelite Design will be our West End Studios Art Opening/Pop Up Gallery July 11-12. For the Facebook Event page, click here.

West End Studios Art Opening/Pop-Up Gallery

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Mark your calendars!!Deelite Design will host the first art opening for artists at the West End. Sculptors Bill Knapp, Barry Sheehan; Woodworker Ewan Tulis; and myself, will have works on display for purchase. Preview Party Friday Evening.

This will be a two day gallery show, Pop-Up style. The show commences Saturday evening so be sure to stop by and bring your art lover friends! Lots of great art for sale! More Information

Preview Party: Friday July 11,  7-10

Show: Saturday July 12, 10-6

About West End Studios:

Technically still Main Street, the West End of Historic Ellicott City is home to several working artists. Currently there are nine artists within the area: blacksmiths Barry Sheehan and Sam Salvati, Sculptor Bill Knapp, Woodworker Ewan Tulis, Painters Dee Cunningham, Laurie Hansen, and Chuck Gamber, and wood turner Dave Calloway.

About the Participating Artists:

Bill Knapp:

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"My intent is to make the viewer wonder. 'Does it work, will it run or maybe what does it do?' Although some pieces may be strong with just their elements, I prefer that the elements relate to each other and and come together to appear to perform a function. That function may appear mechanical, animal, or figurative. My studio includes a small warehouse of parts that talk to me. They come from the internet stores, antique shops, and dumpster dives. Friends often leave things at my studio door that they know I'll recycle."

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Barry Sheehan: "I am a master craftsman with a primary focus in metals and traditional blacksmithing. My artistic philosophy is life is in motion and motion gives art life. I use a minimalistic approach to sculpture in order to create a restless energy that can arrest the attention of any viewer and allow them to interact with the piece. I use familiar imagery such as the human figure caught in motion in order to create an imaginary reality that involves the sculpture and the space around it. My process is difficult but simple: fire, water, impact, and pressure."

Ewan Tulis:

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Ewan is a woodworker by heart. His day job of doing construction and home improvement allows him the pleasure of building sculptural furniture that often includes exotic and reclaimed woods and vintage hardware and metal. His work includes gracefully shaped pieces with curved lines as well as lightly refined rustic pieces that speak of their previous life.

Dee Cunningham:

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Working as a decorative artist my job is to paint for others. Solely commission based up to this point, my work is custom made for the client. I will paint anything from abstract to photo realistic styles in order to achieve my clients' vision.  After much discussion and personal reflection, I hope to complete my first body of work for my own artistic expression in the next year.