Thoughts on what we do:

Recently a friend was trying to figure out what to include in a resume` besides the usual “where he had exhibited work” information. This got me thinking of what I would want to include about what and why Dan and I do the kind of work that we do. Why did we gravitate to painting “old” furniture vs. new? While we do work on both old and new, we really prefer the “old” pieces.

When we were first starting out, as a young newly married couple, visiting the antique shops was not just interesting and fun past-time, but we could pick up some pieces, mostly Victorian, at the time for a reasonable price. It was an economical way to furnish our house with interesting furniture. Repairing, refinishing, or painting our purchase was a pragmatic thing for us to do. Our first apartments and houses were not just like everyone else’s. The history of the piece was interesting to us. The pieces also lent a warm, inviting atmosphere to our living spaces. Visually interesting objects were important things for us to have in our lives. I think that there has also been a component of “saving” things, reinventing them and giving them a new life.

That emphasis of reviving pieces has been a continual theme in our professional and personal lives. Painting on existing furniture does have some guidelines for us though.
Some pieces have what we refer to as good “bones”. Not every used piece of furniture should be decorated. Bad structure and bad proportions can’t be made “good” with a coat of paint. We tend to like simple lines, good construction and proportion. Sometimes repairs and replaced parts are necessary.