Articles
FEATURE ARTICLE
Published in PaintPro -
March/April 2002 Issue
 Chicago-Based
NASODA Shines in the Teachings of Decorative Arts
If Michele Santilli has her way, she'll help to "raise the bar a bit"
when it comes to the standards associated with decorative painting in
North America. As director of the North American School of Decorative
Art in Chicago, she says she’ll "continue to bring European masters over
to pass on what they know to a new generation of painters."
The European instructors — "We have the best in the world coming
here, I say with total confidence" — look forward to their stay
stateside and are more than willing to share their age-old, time-honored
techniques, she says, because, as they put it, "They love the American
energy" that surrounds them.
This year the school has a great line up, she continues, with seven
European craftsmen and three guest instructors from the United States
coming in to teach.
Established in 1999, NASODA is focused on elevating decorative arts
in Northern America to European standards and helping to advance the art
overall. "It’s a pretty broad field," Santilli says, and the school
covers a diverse range of topics, including gilding, ornamentation,
trompe l'oeil, textural finishes and marbling.
"We offer an ongoing curriculum," she says, as decorative painting
has "a lifelong learning curve. At every level, no matter how much you
know, there's always something more to learn."
In recent years, there's been a noticeable resurgence of interest in
decorative painting. And, Santilli thinks, "We're just in the upswing.
The wave is nowhere near cresting yet. The demand is really out there.
And I think if you're getting into this field right now, your timing is
perfect."
On average, she notes, skilled decorative painters can easily make
$400 a day on up.
"There are those that say it's a fad, but I think it's a trend — and
trends are cyclical. Decorative painting has been around for thousands
of years and it's definitely here for a while more."
In her opinion, she continues, "We live at such a fast pace today,
yet there's a need to get back to a simpler time. So people are creating
environments with Old World looks. They just feel good."
And, with the aid of many products on the market today, they're also
better for you. Many painters are moving away from health-hazardous
solvents and are discovering that the new acrylics can be used to
produce the "old" look desired. Some are discovering new techniques are
producing interesting results, while others are using a combination of
oil and acrylic on the same panel to get wanted results.
The acrylic products won't yellow over time, Santilli points out, as
many of their oil-based predecessors do. And the quickness of drying
time lets you paint the next layer in a couple of hours rather than the
next day. On the other hand, she also notes, you can slow the drying
time for acrylics by adding an extender for applications such as wall
glazing.
Santilli, who has a background in graphic arts and interior design
and is a member of the prestigious International Salon of Decorative
Painters, teaches much of NASODA's core curriculum consisting of
foundation classes to classes on textures, and plaster, fresco murals,
color theory and marbling, as well as themed courses, such as "Sky,
Clouds and Atmosphere." The core classes are generally two to five days
long and typically cost $395 and $950, respectively.
Classes, taught by NASODA'S associate master instructors, usually run
for five consecutive days. However, some classes are longer. Yannick
Guegan, the French author of "The Handbook of Painted Decoration," for
instance, will teach a two-week class in July on marbling, ornamentation
and trompe l'oeil. A rare opportunity for the "very serious" decorative
painter, the 12-day class costs $2,300 and there are still openings.
"Students will paint a 4-by-8-foot panel that is suitable for a room
setting," Santilli says.
Other first-time guest instructors scheduled to teach this year
include Mats Carlsson and Lotta Olsson from Sweden, Pascal Amblard from
France and Ross O'Neal from the United States.
For more information on particular classes offered, visit NASODA's
Web site, which was just launched in October, at www.nasoda.com or call
Santilli at (630) 833-5050.
Published with permission from PaintPro, the professional
painter's journal. For more
information about PaintPro, visit their web site at
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