Florentine Furniture Painting Workshop

I am thrilled beyond belief to host this wonderful four day  intensive workshop taught by my friend Alison Woolley, of Florence Art  in Florence, Italy.  Join me for this rare opportunity to learn the traditional Florentine methods for decorating furniture and cabinetry,  in my studio in San Francisco, California.

Florentine Furniture Painting 

Four Day Course

instructor:  Alison Woolley

location: Lynne Rutter Studio, San Francisco

The techniques taught in this four day course are useful for creating some very special accent furniture pieces, cabinetry, or unique art panels, and a distinct addition to your portfolio. This class will also serve as an introduction for those who wish to learn how to restore antiques, or do conservation or decoration work for old houses.

 
You will learn a variety of techniques to decorate wooden surfaces which come from the historical tradition of decorators working in the artisan district of Florence, Italy. This craft developed its many rich facets over many centuries, starting with the decoration for churches and altar panels in the 13th century and continuing on to the present day. Decorators perfected techniques for decorating wooden surfaces, gilding them and coloring them with a rich variety of designs and finishes. 

  

Class projects

~ Create a wooden panel decorated with techniques for Italian and French country style painted furniture. 
~Additional wooden moldings with antique furniture finishes
~ Stencils and tracings are supplied. Example panels to work from are also supplied.

Topics and Techniques covered:
~ Design and transfer techniques for historical styles of ornament
~ Techniques for decorating wooden frames, furniture, and cabinetry using traditional materials such as casein, gesso, bole, varnish, and wax.
~ Historic painting techniques for creating Italian and French country style painted  furniture
~ Techniques used in restoration of antique furniture and frames
~ Antiquing and patina techniques for creating a genuine, softly aged finish.

 

Special  half day seminar:
Florentine Decorative Gilding Techniques

a combination of demonstrations and hands-on exercises showing traditional water gilding techniques and decorative techniques for gilded surfaces. Useful for people who would like to either work with these techniques, do small repairs to gilded antiques, or simply wish to have a better understanding and appreciation of how antique and contemporary gilded frames and furniture are decorated.
 

Alison Woolley has been a practicing artisan in Florence for  20 years. She developed her craft working for many years in several well known botteghe or workshops of Florence, before opening  her own studio.

 
These classes were taught in July and August 2010.
Please contact Lynne for information about this or future classes.