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West Dundee artist puts paintbrush to work with mural art, interior painting business
November 22, 2009 By MIKE DANAHEY
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Artist David Cook, who specializes in several painting techniques, including elaborate murals, poses with one of his works in Elgin, on Oct. 30.
(Andrew A. Nelles /For TheSun-Times Media) |
While suburban subdivisions tend to blend together with their bland shades of vinyl siding, David Cook of West Dundee gives the interiors of area homes a fresh coat of individuality with his business.
Cook operates D'Franco Decorative Finishes (www.dfrancofinishes.com), which provides clients with faux finishing and custom murals as well as traditional interior painting. This is his seventh year in business.
Cook recently answered five questions for us about his company. Here is what he had to say.
1. Where did you learn to draw and paint, and what are the challenges of doing what you do?
I always played around with a pencil and paint brush, but I would say it was my 10th-grade art teacher who pushed me to be better and would not accept anything mediocre that got me to where I am at today.
I think the biggest challenge of a wall mural is scale. For example, our last full room mural was a safari scene. The client wanted more animals and scenery than there was wall space, so to accommodate the mural, we painted over all of the doors in the room, treated everything in the room as part of our canvas.
2. What are some of the most interesting murals you have created?
The most elaborate mural was a scene of the Eiffel Tower. The mural is about 15 feet wide and about 21 feet tall, and what made the hardest mural is that is was painted in a foyer staircase, so we had little room for ladders.
The most unusual or comical was a game room we painted to go along with a "Peanuts" theme. We had everything from Lucy pulling the football from Charlie Brown to Snoopy as the Red Baron flying overhead.
3. How many people help you with your work?
I do not have any other full-time employees, but have numerous people and companies that I will work with when extra manpower is needed.
4. With the economy the way it is, why do you think you have been able to keep busy?
As soon as painting became full-time, I started working with Realtors, decorators, stagers and networking groups. By offering so many styles of "painting," we can fill any order when the call comes in. We have just started venturing into the automotive side of murals (motorcycle tanks, helmets, car hoods, et al), so we are now adding a whole new market to our business.
5. Who are your favorite painters?
For faux finishing, the person who has helped me the most is Kathy Carroll from the Chicago Institute of Fine Finishes (online at www.gofaux.com). For murals, my favorite artist is Cory Saint Clair (a California-based artist who specializes in air-brushed work, which can be seen online at www.myspace.com/artbycorysaintclair1.) |
