THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410110452
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Karen Petzinger is helping homeowners all over Hampton Roads discover a fresh alternative to the old paint or wallpaper decorating dilemma. She is one of several artists whose hand-painted wall treatments can be seen at Homearama '94.
Produced by the Tidewater Builders Association, Homearama opened this weekend at Church Point in Virginia Beach. The event features 17 homes, fully decorated and landscaped, with prices starting at $360,000.
Homearama is a showcase for the newest trends in building, landscaping and interior design, and in nearly half of the homes, you will find hand-painted walls.
In one home you will see a celestial bedroom, with walls and vaulted ceiling painted a textured midnight blue, dusted with golden comet tails and dotted with stars.
In another child's room, inspired by ``The Lion King,'' the walls are painted with jungle murals so real you can almost hear the monkeys chattering.
A panorama of palm trees, clouds and birds lifts one laundry room far above detergent grit and lint fluff. A bird sails over the washer with a sock in its beak, answering the eternal question of where do all those missing socks go.
In the Summer's Glen house, Petzinger painted several walls, including an abstract mural in an exercise room. The painting is so full of movement, flashing with teal green and gold energy, that workouts might go by a bit faster.
Hand-painted walls are a trend with a long history, back to the days when cave dwellers painted their walls with scenes of everyday life. The Romans used illusionary art to visually open up small spaces.
``The actual art has been around for years, especially in Europe, but is now becoming more popular in the United States,'' said Roger Jones, owner of Roger's Interiors in Virginia Beach, who also painted several rooms at Homearama.
Jones, a former studio artist, turned his brushes to wall treatments and furniture about three years ago. ``Hand-painted walls are more personalized, less repetitious and have no seams,'' he explained.
Although Jones paints some murals, he most frequently creates one-of-a-kind wall finishes by painting over a base color and then partially removing the over-colors a layer at a time, a technique called ragging. Ragging and its variations result in a faux finish that may resemble marble, wood, aged metal, stone or something equally attractive but less definable.
``It is a much richer look, and you can create a wall finish that plays on light, something really unique,'' Jones said.
One of the most striking aspects of hand-painted decorative art is illusionary art or trompe l'oeil, French for ``trick of the eye.'' Architectural details such as columns, windows or small wall niches are painted so realistically that at first glance they appear to be real.
Petzinger has worked in several homes where the client has requested that she paint an additional ``window'' in a room and add a garden scene or lakefront to be glimpsed through it.
Petzinger has seen her business increase steadily since she began custom wall painting after graduating from the University of Virginia in 1993 with a fine arts degree.
She and Jones agree that because the work is so personalized, the artist and client must communicate.
``Some people have definite ideas, but more need some guidance, because people have a hard time visualizing what will go on a wall,'' she said. ``Once I identify a person's style I like to experiment to find my own techniques.''
After Jones consults with his client, he makes a simple request: ``Trust me.''
Hand-painted walls, like conventionally painted and wallpapered walls, have different degrees of durability and costs, points that can be explained by the artist. Generally, Jones said, hand-painted walls will cost 25 percent to 50 percent more than walls papered with a good quality wallpaper.
How do you find a decorative artist? Asking an interior designer for a referral is a good start, because many artists work through design firms as well as on their own. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
GARY C. KNAPP/Staff
Artist Karen Petzinger painted a vibrant, swirling mural in the
workout room of the Summer's Glen house.
Graphic
HOMEARAMA '94 WHAT: Homearama '94, a display of 17 custom homes,
produced by Tidewater Builders Association
WHEN: Noon to 10 p.m. daily through Oct. 22 and noon to 6 p.m.
Oct. 23
WHERE: Church Point in Virginia Beach, off of Shore Drive near
Bayville Farms
HOW MUCH: $6 for adults, two-visit passes for $9; $5 for senior
citizens (Monday through Thursday); children under 12, free.
Two-for-one tickets available on Tuesdays. On Columbus Day, Oct. 10,
active military admisision is $5. Parking is free.
MORE INFO: 420-2434
by CNB