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Decorative painting is a craft that ranges from the sublime (Tiepolo's Wurzburg Residence murals) to the mundane (well over half of the oak doors of Paris' buildings are in fact faux painted Medium Density Fiberboard). There is however a common driving principle to all decorative projects: problem solving. Like the work itself, problems may be highly laboured and complex, or deceptively simple, and it is up to the painter to resolve these enigmas at hand.
While an easy brushstroke, a good eye, a historical and technical knowledge are necessary to the craft, in the end, it is not the hand of the artisan that differentiates one decorative painter from another, but the mind. Whether one is given 4 years to paint Count Grifenclau's residence in the case of Tiepolo, or 4 days to paint 300 square feet of Douanier Rousseau -my first project when I started this profession in the early 90s, and ultimately what convinced me that this line of work appealingly married the physical to the intellectual- the actual painting is subsumptive to solving the artistic equation at hand.
What process will be used to imitate a heretofore unknown marble? How does one intertwine one's own creativity and the client's specifications on a project? If there are 60 rooms in a hotel, all of which require painted clouds on the ceiling, what is the most efficient way to proceed? How fluffy should the clouds be, and how many putti is too many putti? What methods will be used to render a faux mahogany in an elegant living room (viewer will be anywhere between 15 inches and 15 feet away from the walls) versus a theater set (the distances will be 15 and 150 feet)? How do we avoid the trappings of rococo bad taste that has dominated -and ultimately hurt- today's market?
Solve the equation, and let the paint follow.
Benjamin Craig is a dual French and American national who has trained as both a fine artist and a decorative painter. He has studied in both countries and meshes his old world craft with contemporary projects. With 15 years of experience as a decorative painter, and having worked extensively in France, England, the United States, Russia, and the Caribbean, Benjamin is a respected member of the decorative painting community.
He has also taught the art of faux painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, Fordham University, and The Finishing School amongst others.
His work has been featured in Relais Et Chateaux and Belles Demeures. He is an active member of the Salon of International Decorative Painters.
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