I’m very excited to share with you the work of Timothy Craig of Environments Design. The project pictured above is the Nyungwe Ecolodge located in the village of Gisakura in Rawanda. When Tim (pictured above) came to me and asked if it was possible to use Philip’s Perfect Colors on a project in Rawanda I had to admit I thought he was kidding. Tim Craig is a very funny guy with a laugh that always makes my day, so I thought this was just a joke of sorts. He was in fact VERY serious. Tim has been involved with the group Partners in Conservation for years and this most unusual project of his is slated to open on July 15th. Given the difficulty of shipping paint to Rawanda, we made an agreement that allowed him to find someone in Uganda to mix colors from my palette (no black pigment of course!) I am anxiously awaiting pictures of the interiors with all the PPC colors. I promise to post them when I get them. In the meantime you can find out more about this great project and Timothy Craig by going to www.environmentsdesign.org.

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you all to Nan Kornfeld. Nan has worked with color throughout her career as a professional fine artist, furniture-maker, art conservateur and educator. She has spent twenty years teaching art and has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her interests are as varied as puppeteering and quilt making, and as unique as having taught art in both colleges and jails! We will be having the pleasure of Nan on staff in the store Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays beginning June 18th. I am looking forward to having another comrade in color to work side by side with and to entrust my varied clientele to.

To kick things off in fine style Nan has agreed to give a hands on demonstration on Saturday June 20th from 1-3 pm. I will let her words speak to this matter:

“Color has the single greatest impact of anything in our environment. It is a language all people intuitively understand; in fact, human beings have many universal responses to and associations with color and the color relationships found in Nature, and it is this phenomenon we can use to organize, highlight, and identify architectural spaces, and affect mood, health, and even happiness.”

In this hands-on painting workshop, Nan will explore the many levels of human response to color and our inextricable link to the Natural World: how this relationship effects our choice of color, color palettes, and even brand of paint; and how this relationship can be applied to interior and exterior architectural environments. Understanding these principles allows us to dispense with trends and formulas in favor of complete creativity in concert with humane design.

Please call us at G&R Paint to reserve a space at the table for this unique afternoon. We are limited to twenty total participants, so please call ASAP.

I spent the entire day yesterday with My C2 partner Michelle Quantara at her store Colori-Chicago. It was a great opportunity for me to get a fresh look at her unique business. The residents of the greater Chicago area have the unique priviledge of having someone so creative and outside of the usual paint store box, in their backyard.  Michelle, and her able assistant John, offer hands on assistance with color and product unlike anything else in Chicago. When you walk in the store you are immediately taken by the upscale designer feel of the store.  Colori-Chicago’s specialty is great color in environmentally friendly coatings. Michelle and Company stock C2 LoVo, California Products Elements, and Yolo House Color. If you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Colori-Chicago, and you are a designer or just a color fanatic, do yourself a favor and make a stop in to this Bucktown establishment and set your creativity free. http://www.colorichicago.com

I recently completed a series of TV ads that will begin airing on a local San Francisco channel today. I had never done this sort of thing before so it was a very different sort of experience. Now I understand why movie stars often don’t want to see the final product of their work. It is awkward watching yourself talking as if it is casual and unscripted when you know it was exactly the opposite! In any event I hope the DIY tips are helpful and that if you are in the SF Bay Area you tune in to KOFY TV for their local broadcasts of Color Splash and Curb Appeal, where you will see my talking head. Thanks to Benjamin Moore for partnering with me on this.