“And The Award Goes To...”

Master Artisan, John Kiernan began to display a strong artistic talent and interest in drawing and painting early in his life, thanks to his high school art instructor. In college, he studied Advertising, Art & Design and pursued a career as an Art Director, working in some of the top Ad agencies in New York. After several years in the hustle and bustle advertising world, John decided to change directions and become a police officer—it was only natural to him to go into public service, since his father was a New York City fireman. In 1987, he joined the Southampton Village Police Department in Virginia, followed by the Fairfax County Police Department in Northern Virginia. Even though his career path changed, John continued with his passion for art and drawing. While working at the police departments, he created national logos, murals and paintings that benefited Law Enforcement families, to include fallen officers and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. After 12 years with Fairfax, Virginia PD, John retired and decided that art would now become his full time job once again!

It was in 2001 when John started his decorative finishing education, attending several faux, marble, woodgraining and decorative finishing classes at various Faux Effects® distributor studios, including The Finishing School in New York and Vigini Studios in Texas. After working for year at a decorative arts company doing trompe l’oeil and mural painting, John decided to go into business for himself starting Blue Line Studios in Warrenton, Virginia. His immense talent was noticed by Masters in the international art world, and in 2005, John was exclusively invited to join the elite group of international decorative painters, SALON, at their annual meetings around the world.

In 2010, John and fellow decorative artist, Krista Collier, were commissioned to hand paint 16 fiberglass wrapped columns 12-feet around and 26-feet high to resemble real marble. After priming and applying SetCoat®, John and Krista applied Stone Décor™ (Faux Effects’® remarkable, durable marble dust product) to the columns to create a natural marble finish. To enhance the marble veining, FauxCreme Color™ was delicately handpainted by the artists to produce a truly natural effect. The bases were addressed by using custom tinted RsStone® to give the appearance of centuries old handcrafted stone. Fabulous and dramatic decorative effects transformed this once somewhat ordinary lobby into a masterpiece!

Some of John’s commissions include exquisite woodgraining. In an elegant two-story private library of a home in McLean, Virginia, all the built-ins, molding and ceiling were turned into fine mahogany using various FauxCreme® glazes. One of John’s favorite tools for his decorative and fine art is an airbrush, along with FauxCreme Color™. “[The airbrush helps] create shadows and the illusion of beveled edges,” John explains. On another job, he custom woodgrained an ordinary steel door that led into the garage of a luxury home. “The Fire Marshall failed the homeowner’s final inspection because of this new wooden door.” John explains that “I took it as the utmost compliment!”

In the 1980’s, medium-toned wood cabinets were ever so popular but now were ready for updating. John performed facelifts on both kitchens shown to bring them to the new millennium using Neutral White SetCoat® and a Van Dyke Brown FauxCreme Color™ glaze. This fresh look complements both dark and light countertops along with the new wood flooring. The Tuscan wine storage area is an excellent example of John’s mural and trompe l’oeil skills, turning an empty space into an impressive life-like focal point.

Most of John’s extraordinary fine art work can be seen at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington,DC, where his paintings memorializing police enforcement are on display. However, his fine art does not include just this highly respectable theme. As a long-time fan of the Washington Capitals, John’s work also includes a number of pieces honoring his favorite ice hockey team, including a portrait of Alex Ovechkin, one of NHL’s high point leaders and the team’s captain. Go Caps!

DECORATIVE ART BY: JOHN KIERNAN

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY: JOHN KIERNAN

WRITTEN BY: JOAN SECKINGER

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