Artistic Inspiration
The feelings generated when you’re gliding atop of a wall of water, at speeds that make your eyes burn, in a lush, tropical location that make the heavens sing are utterly overwhelming. The physical and mental euphoria that comes with a well-ridden wave takes artistic inspiration to new levels. Dave Hettel of Primal Colors in Ormond Beach, FL has two loves: the love of surfing and the love of art. "There is a certain freedom found when you put them together," says Dave. I am always thinking of art or music and how they flow together. It seems like the same side of the brain is active when creating on a wave. It’s like the energy under the swell is the creative thought wave emanating out from the source, being warped by the environment, and how we ride them becomes part of the creation.”
As a child, Dave drew pictures of hot rods, but once he discovered his love for surfing, his hot rods turned into ocean waves. As he grew, he worked as a house painter while studying art, always making time for shredding the South Florida waves. Dave decided to venture out of Florida to surf the famous point breaks in Hawaii. For years, he enjoyed the breathtaking natural beauty of the islands and the exhilaration of the surf, painting signs and doing canvas work on occasion. Upon moving back to Florida, Dave got a degree in graphic design, which nudged his career in the direction of silk-screening, airbrushing surfboards and sign painting. A friend, Shelly Rossmeyer (the daughter of Bruce Rossmeyer of Harley Davidson fame), asked Dave to create a Graham Rust inspired mural in her oceanfront home. This is where he discovered his talent for painting on a large scale. Several more mural commissions followed, during which he incorporated faux finishing into his repertoire. “Teri Althouse was instrumental in inspiring me to expand into decorative finishing.” Dave took the Designer Walls 1 workshop and a business class at the Faux Effects Studio in Vero Beach, FL and considers them to be “the biggest turning point in my career.” He adds, “the endless combinations of plasters and materials that Faux Effects® offers are such an inspiration.” Dave’s specialty is in multi-layered plaster finishes and hand painted decorative images.
One such ceiling project incorporated both elements in its design. He calls it the “swirl ceiling”, which was not intended as an interpretation of Van Goghs’ Starry Night, but it “just happened.” Starting over Neutral White SetCoat®, Dave formed 3-D swirls using SandStone™ and dashes of LusterStone® colors Medallion Gold, Brown Suede, Charred Olive and Mustard Seed. He then added dashes of White FauxCreme Color™ and then toned the entire finish with Blue and Green Hi-Lite Fresco™. The artwork perfectly reflected the clients’ elegant yet eclectic style.
Combining various textures with deep, earthy colors can create a wonderfully warm and inviting effect, like this stairwell finish that Dave created using gold leaf, PlasterTex™, QuartzStone™, RSPlaster® and several colors of LusterStone® over a Dark Brown SetCoat® base. He sporadically placed gold leaf over the SetCoat®, which peeked through the following skip-troweled layers of tinted textures. He then toned the finish with a FauxCreme® Clear glaze mixture tinted with Brown and Earth Brown FauxCreme Color™.
Deep, warm, inviting colors are beautiful in nearly any space, regardless of square footage. This small powder bath brings this point home. Tiger Eye Venetian Gem® accompanied Mandarin Red LusterStone® in a striae application. The effect was then treated with a metallic glaze, which gave the room a soft golden glow. Ceilings can also benefit from the richness and depth of a deeper color. For instance the large pinwheel ceiling was painted using SetCoat® and tinted FauxCreme®. Trompe l’oeil details were added to simulate carved woodwork around the inner and outer perimeters.
Marbleizing columns is a great way to combine fine art and basic faux finishing techniques. Simple manipulation of a single color can allow an artist to create a very believable marble effect, but when you further develop the finish by adding shading, veining and depth, even the most trained marble connoisseur would have a difficult time detecting the truth. Dave has completed many marble projects. One project has faux marble columns proudly framing a large wall mural of an Italian landscape.This mural features details from the customer’s ancestral home in Italy. The wonderfully versatile Earth Brown FauxCreme Color™ was used to simulate the neutral marble and the capitals were treated with Copper Pot MetalGlow® over glazed with Dark Brown FauxCreme Color™. The mural itself was brought to life using only FauxCreme Color™. Dave’s ability to capture the feel of the subject matter is very apparent. His artwork ranges from bright and bold to soft and ethereal, like his “Florida Sky” mural. One can tell by looking at this particular piece that he grew up in heat of Florida by the way he represents the misty sea air. It echoes the environment of its location near the historic Bulow Plantation near Flagler Beach.
A delicately stenciled ceiling that Dave calls “Burnt Chocolate” was completed using SetCoat® as its base and then a thin coat of AquaStone™ was applied by trowel through a border stencil. Dave then used Dark Brown, Brown, Earth Brown and Metallic Silver FauxCreme® glaze mixtures to create subtle movement. The end result is simple, elegant and complimentary to the room’s design.
Primal Colors has built a reputation for excellence, integrity and unsurpassed designs. They create custom finishes to enhance the environment their customers live and work in. Fromtraditional to contemporary, elegant to eccentric, they can create a gorgeous finish for any project.
DECORATIVE ART BY: DAVE HETTEL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: DAVE HETTEL
WRITTEN BY: CAT FAUST
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