TWO artists from Las Vegas on Friday discussed faux paintings with the advanced art students of Marianas High School.
Barth White and Paul Sokolski of Barth’s Faux Effects and Decorative Paintings flew in from the U.S. to share their expertise and knowledge with the 19 art students of Wesley Foster.
The two demonstrated faux painting techniques to 19 MHS students at the Hyatt’s SandCastle Saipan.
The group then proceeded to MHS so students could make their own faux paintings using available materials on the island.
“This is very informative,” said Rosie Santos, one of the students.
White said they had been into decorative paintings for the past 15 years.
Faux is the art of applying treatment to a wall or just about any painting to make it more attractive, authentic and decorative, he said.
“When I first started out, the very first glaze available was beer. Beer was our glaze. But technology has come a long way and it’s going to keep going,” White said.
His company is known for the faux paintings in such famous casinos as Caesar’s Palace, the Pallagio, the Venetian, among others.
Barth’s was also commissioned by SandCastle to decorate its columns.
Mark S. Baldyga, chairman of Baldyga Group, Intl., LLC, which owns SandCastle Saipan, said he wanted to expose young local artists to a different type of art.
“It would be nice for the students to learn about this type of art,” Baldyga said.
Elaine Perez, a guidance counselor at MHS, said she was thankful that local students were given the chance to learn about a new art technique.
