Island Elegance

An old painter's manual from his grandfather ... a writing desk decorated in faux bois ... and slowly a spark was fanned into a fire. Years passed as a painter and wood finisher ... so the endless opportunity to study real wood, interspersed with many hours of practice, leads to today in which he creates wood grain on various surfaces. Practicing, learning, and honing skills makes an ordinary painter into a craftsman.

Phil Wiebe studied marble and woodgraining in classes led by Mike MacNeil, along with instruction from Kait Whitson from Carte Blanche in Scotland, UK. Interestingly enough, both Mike MacNeil and Kait Whitson were students of the late and famous Bill Holgate, possibly the finest modern practitioner of graining and marbling in the UK. Phil took his studies and further developed his craft, incorporating them into a decorative finishing company in Canada. He sought out Faux Effects International for the latest and best in decorative finishing materials, taking numerous decorative painting and faux finishing workshops there and at Faux Design Studio in Addison, Illinois.

In preparation for graining a condo ceiling at Koa Resort in Kihei, a lot of research was done perusing the Internet, where Phil came upon a blog about a craftsman fashioning a 10-foot surf board of harvested wood off of Mount Haleakalā. Koa is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, and this particular piece of shimmering curly Koa wood was the perfect reference piece Phil chose to imitate, because of its outstanding beauty in configuration and color. This rare, exotic wood, which ranges in color from light brown to deep red-brown hues, is recognized world wide.

His clients' vision of having their ceiling painted to look like local wood was an exciting and rewarding challenge for Phil. Many hours of practice in his home studio—brushing, mottling and badgering—along with developing color tones, changed the surfaces into fabulous, realistic-looking boards. Only as a craftsman could he consider taking on this unique challenge to paint an entire great room condominium ceiling in faux Koa wood grain. Accomplishing this was a fabulous experience, and with blue skies above, palm trees swaying, Hawaiian flowers and vegetation surrounding him, the plain, cut strips of fiber board were transformed into iridescent Koa wood lumber planks!

Not only does Phil create woodgrain and marble finishes, but also decorative plaster creations. This accent wall, featuring Venetian Gem®, LusterStone® and Stain & Seal™ brings a Zen-like, island elegance to the room. Phil applied Venetian Gem® in a vertical, cut pattern with the edge of a trowel. When dry, LusterStone® was used to backfill this pattern. For added depth and design, Stain& Seal™ was applied randomly and blended together. The staircase wall is a terrific feature that maintains the resort's traditional, island feel.

DECORATIVE ART BY: STONEY BROOK PAINTING

& FAUX FINISHING

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: PHIL WIEBE

WRITTEN BY: PHIL WIEBE

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