My first class with Drew over at the Minneapolis Institute of Fine Finishes was a great success.  We spent three days painting, and distressing 5 wooden doors.  We did a lovely cedar finish with a walnut over lay, a tissue paper crackle cabinet door, a wood icing stained stencil door, a distressed crackle creamy yellow and a beat up looking brown door.

(Here is a photo of the students working on the doors in the studio)

The students were all wonderful and really brought a lot of insight and innovative ideas to the finishes.  The greatest part of it for me was seeing how beautifully each door came out and how each finisher brings something new to the table.  We had people in the class ranging from a district manager at Hirshfields, to fine finishers and a DIY homeowner wanting to refinish her cabinets at home with out spending a lot of time.

(this is one of the students crackle tissue paper doors)

I taught wood icing which was a huge hit.  People were very impressed with how the product really does stain just like wood.  We even did a test, taping off one half of a door and just skim coating it with wood icing, letting it dry over night and then staining.  The match was dead on, and it filled in all the nasty wood grain on the door we were doing charging the whole feel of the piece.  I’m busy now working on putting together a Full Wood Icing class for the studio.

(this is the wood icing finish we did, developed by he wonderful Rose Wilde)

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in class.  You all were such a joy to work with and I look forward to seeing pictures of your beautiful works of art and will hope to see you in the studio again soon!

love, LULU