mong her many talents,Kathy Boyd has a knackfor bringing decorativeartisans together. Kathy is asuccessful decorative painter who owns KB Designs in Min-nesota, but she is knownthroughout the decorative paint-ing community for her many in-dustry-wide endeavors. A fewyears ago, she launched the verysuccessful Talk Faux online fo-rum. She’s also created great on-line communities for artists withthe websites House of Faux, ArtFusion and Artists Underground.Kathy’s latest endeavor inbringing people together is abrand-new event known as FauxRetreat. Like the name suggests, it’s anevent that allows you to get away fromyour daily routine to recharge your mind, body and spirit while partakingof the thing you love the most: creatingand exploring the art of faux finishing.Faux Retreats are scheduled twice ayear, once in the spring and once in thefall. The first-ever Faux Retreat tookplace this past fall in a beautiful ruralsetting near Spooner, Wis., which is1

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hours north of Minneapolis/St.Paul. The site is a private residence,owned by a friend of Kathy’s, and theproperty includes 170 acres of woodsand two pristine lakes.The setting and the schedule offer ample opportunity for hiking, bik-ing, fishing and relaxing and enjoy-ing nature. The property is home tomany small birds and animals—andat the time of the event, even a bear and her bear cubs!Accommodations consist of twobedrooms, each furnished with threesets of custom-built, adult-size bunkbeds. There are also limited private or semi-private quarters available for anadditional fee. Or, if you’d rather roughit, camping options are also available.As mentioned, the Faux Retreat isfor the body as well as the mind. Theartists had access to such amenities asa massage therapist, paraffin treat-ments, yoga, a sauna, Jacuzzi bathtub,a hot tub and Zumba dancing lessons.There was plenty of timefor the artists to bond duringmeals and with conversa-tions around the bonfire.“Everyone spent a lot of time together and it forgedstrong friendships,” Kathyreported, “I think the livelyatmosphere fostered that.”The Faux Retreats featurehigh-caliber instructors. In-structors at the first retreatwere Kathy Carroll of Chica-go Institute of Fine Finishes; KathyWear of Finishes by Kathy; and MindyHarrell of Faux Assured Studios.Classes took place in an oversized,two-car garage. During the course of seven days, students created a brand-new portfolio of fabulous finishes aswell as custom canvases and decora-

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A class photo from the Faux Retreat.A group photo ofthe participantsin the first FauxRetreat. Therewas an ongoingjoke throughoutthe week aboutthe bear and hercubs on theproperty, hencethe bear added(via PhotoShop)to the group.

Brings Artists Together

Faux Retreat

by Diane Capuano, executive editor

Faux RetreatBrings ArtistsTogetherA

tive mirrors. “The canvases were anidea we got from Mindy,” Kathysaid. “Everyone worked on one can-vas together, which was 4-by-4 feet,and then they each did their own at24-inches-by-24-inches. They usedthe leftover product from the classesand created some amazing things. Itwas such a hit that we will now do acanvas at every retreat.”The artists ate well, too. Mealswere prepared by Mindy Harrell’shusband, Jim, who not only is an air-line pilot but also a fantastic chef andphotographer. “He took the week off to be our personal chef, and he alsoconducted a bonus class on how touse your camera,” Kathy reports.The Faux Retreat benefited fromthe support of many fine companiesthat donated products and/or servicesto the event. They included: ProceedSystem/Golden, Ron Hansen’s Stam-pedia, Modello Designs, ArchiTex-ture/TatooWall, Laser Excel, The

Faux Finisher

Magazine, Faux As-sured Studio, Faux by Kathy andChef Harrell’s Fine Foods.

Participant Reactions

Participants in the Faux Retreatfound it to be an unforgettable expe-rience. Sandra Lassley, Fe Fi Faux,Omaha, Neb., called it “a breath of fresh air. ” Sheliked the fact thatartists could finish their classes, thenleisurely head over to the mainhouse where they partook of “verita-ble feasts.” “I loved saving hours of effort and time not going back to ahotel then waiting for dinner,” shesaid. “All this time was instead spentrelaxing by the fire and dining andtalking to new friends.”Mave Alft, Alft Decorators, Wis-consin Rapids, Wis., characterizedthe retreat as one of the most mem-orable experiences of her life. “Theclasses were great, with knowledge-able, fun instructors who inspired usall to expand our creativity. The ca-maraderie we all shared was amaz-ing. … I learned as much from get-ting to know my fellow retreaters asI did from the unique classes, and Ideveloped lifelong friendships witha great group of artists.”Allen Morris of Three Putt inChicago appreciated the exceptionalinstructors and the opportunity tobond with the other artists. “The con-cept of artists being together frombreakfast until bedtime was genius,”he said. “Kathy Boyd put personalitiestogether who not only shared their knowledge of products and methodsbut shared their lives. I truly made re-lationships that will last a lifetime. Icame away from the retreat a better painter but more importantly, a better person for having been with such awonderful group of people.”Brian Vaughn, Island Colors Art& Design Company LLC, Sanibel Is-land, Fla., appreciated the great scopeof experience and talents that thethree instructors brought to the event.“My portfolio sample boards and theknowledge gained were very diversi-fied compared to other classes I havetaken. I also enjoyed socializing withnew friends after class, the food, thecampfires, games and contests. Thesurroundings were beautiful andpeaceful—a very good way to get themost out of your creativity. I havemade some new friends for life— who could ask for more?”

Upcoming: Fauxstock

With the first successful Faux Re-treat under her belt, Kathy has some-thing new on the horizon to bringartists together. She is planning an out-door trade show and education eventthat she is calling Fauxstock. As thename suggests, its inspiration wasWoodstock, only the emphasis will beon non-stop faux instead of non-stopmusic. “We were originally going tohave it in the same location as theFaux Retreat, but a friend has offeredher place in Somerset, Wis., 30 mileseast of Minneapolis.” Kathy reported.Fauxstock will take place in a largeoutdoor space that will allow for dis-play of many faux industry products aswell as a huge heated barn. The pricefor attending will be very economical,and to make attendance even more af-fordable, participants will have the op-tion of camping or staying in anearby hotel or motel.As Kathy observed, givingartists an opportunity to attendevents at an economical cost isimportant under the currenteconomy conditions. “I know alot of things can be taught on-line, but I’m still a big propo-nent of hands-on classes. Mygoal for the retreat was to makeit economical with all the foodand lodging included.”

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Rhonda Melnrick created this customcanvas.Kathy Wear and Mave Alft during class.