Denise Painter 

My passion for decoupage – working with paper and paint – began in 1993.

For as long as I can remember, I dabbled in sewing and creating clay pots—hand building as well as throwing shapes on the potter’s wheel. The shapes were reasonable but when it came to decorating the items I lacked the necessary skills, there had to be an alternative to glazing.

At a local Arts and Craft exhibition I first saw Decoupage. I was captivated. Because of my particular interest of working on ceramics I found a wonderful teacher—Val Lade. Val was an artist who in the 70’s began researching 18th Century Decoupage. The first time I saw her beautiful work I knew I had found something very special and my passion for decoupage was born. Val became my mentor and I will forever be grateful to her.

I began teaching in 1994 from my home studio-I was so passionate about decoupage I wanted to share the joy with everyone. I was very fortunate to have approximately 60 students who became as passionate as I for the art of decoupage. Imagination is the only limitation.

The courses I developed are to meet each individual’s requirements. During classes my students identify areas they would like to learn more about for example, design, colour. Sometimes I see areas that need more focus. I develop courses to meet student’s need.

My personal projects “just happen”. I will fall in love with an image or a concept and it goes from there. I think about the design constantly, the object I will use and so on, until I am happy to begin. Most of my designs comprise many images and finding the images that are in harmony is always a challenge. I love to use traditional and contemporary images together. There is always an answer.

18th Century Decoupage’s peculiarity is its beauty and accessibility. Most finished pieces leave the viewer wondering if the design is painted by an artist and in most cases the use of paper to craft the design is not considered. I am constantly thinking about designs. Images are very important. I must love the image otherwise I will not use it. In fact I counsel my students if they do not love the image then we will not use it. The background is very important part of decoupage. The background in most cases is dictated by the image. When deciding on the background colour I look into the image for a hint as to what I should do – I look for emotion, movement and texture. I endeavour to make the piece “mine” and am very mindful of not to replicate pieces—I draw inspiration from the great masters of painting, photography, potters, costume designers and architects.

I love to work on ceramics, wood, eggshell, furniture – anything that has a stable surface.

Begin the journey of the “Art of Decoupage” and see where you will arrive. You may be surprised to uncover your hidden talent.