My craft-work is currently focused primarily on the restoration of architectural wood–doors, windows, interior trim, and built-in cabinets.  But before this focus, I worked primarily in the realm of the decorative arts tradition of painted finishes (popularly referred to as the “faux finishes”).  During this time-period, I also became a regular contributor to The Faux Finisher, a trade magazine for finishers working in this tradition.

All of my articles had a unified focus.  Beginning from a specific finishing project I had just completed, I developed an analysis of a particular aspect of the creative process that had been accentuated by this project.  I am reprinting these articles here.  While they have direct applicability to the decorative artist, the principles are general enough to be applicable to anyone interested in exploring the creative process.

[Note: This page is in process.  Here are a list of articles to be posted soon:

• Oops#@$! Huh??? Ahaah!!! The Happy Accident.  A two-part study of how accidents, when attended to with an exploratory attitude, can yield creative discovery.
• When Walls Begin to Breathe: Inspiring the Finish with Liveliness.  The first of a three-part study of synaesthesia (cross-over perception…hearing what you see, seeing what you smell…) yields creative discovery.  In particular, this series is focused on how I “listen to rooms” in order to accomplish interior design tasks.
• The Sound of One Room Clapping.  The second of a three-part study of synaesthesia.
• The Sound of the Focal Point.  The third of a three-part study of synaesthesia.
• Invest Your Agony in Ecstacy.  Negative moods have long been recognized as sources of creativity.  Boredom, for instance, is widely recognized as a state which, when embraced in the right way, can yield creativity.   This article focuses on how pain (agony) is a wild horse one can ride to achieve creativity.