Decorative Painting Apprenticeship Program

LEARN FAUX FINISHING & DECORATIVE PAINTING from artisan professionals while restoring or reviving a public space. Students, novice through advanced, are welcome to take classes.

The MISSION of the Decorative Painting Apprenticeship Program is to provide real-world experiences for decorative painting artisans as well as create enduring art in public spaces consistent with the goals of public restoration programs.

Decorative Painting Apprenticeship Program
106 Sean Drive
Kennett Square, PA 19348
E-Mail: info@dpap.org

In the News

In a newspaper interview, apprentice, Theresa Blosser from Delaware, said she learned a great deal on the project and is impressed with the result. Blosser, who wants to be a decorative painter, said, "The instructors were great-there was a lot of one-on-one." The News Journal, Cover Feature, September 18, 2007.

Read Daily Local News article.

St. Cornelius Catholic Church is located on Ridge Road in Chadds Ford, Pa. Directions are at the bottom of this page.

The Divine Makeover:

St Cornelius, Fall 2007

CHADDS FORD, PA: The Decorative Painting Apprenticeship Program, LLC (DPAP) unveils its first project: the transformation of a church interior from plain white walls to a visually alive space. DPAP created a unique onsite art school by inviting the decorative painting industry's top artisans to teach classes to students, novice through advanced, in faux finishing and decorative painting techniques while executing an interior design plan generated by the masters.

CLICK TO PLAY THE VIDEO.

With minimal cost to St. Cornelius Catholic Church in Chadds Ford, a suburb of Philadelphia, the master decorative painters and apprentices have stippled and dabbed twenty-thousand square feet of white walls with faux finishes and decorative painting transforming the plain white interior of the contemporary church over the last six months into a richly decorated house of worship with faux wood graining, marbling, gold leafing, stenciling, murals, glazing and Venetian plaster.

Bernadette (Bernie) Forese of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is a master faux painter and parishioner at St. Cornelius. She hatched the idea to decorate the church and create the apprenticeship program with like-minded colleagues, decorative painters, Marlow and Brita DeMars of Lebanon, Connecticut. All shared a concern that too few "real wall" opportunities exist for people who want to learn these skills.

The Decorative Painting Apprenticeship Program was born and its goal is to become the recognized leader for providing artistic support in the restoration of public spaces while providing educational venues for the development of emerging and established talent within the decorative painting field. Non-profit status is pending. With this first project completed, DPAP already has projects planned for buildings in Connecticut, California, Illinois and Wisconsin.

In March of 2007 a design scheme was approved by Monsignor Gregory Parlante of St. Cornelius. Then DPAP invited master crafts people, painters and artisans to teach faux finishes and decorative painting technique classes in the church, and execute the design plan in the process. Teachers came from Scotland and throughout the United States. Classes included glazing, gold leafing, Venetian plasters, stenciling, wood graining and marbling, sky painting, silk plaster, mural painting and canvas installation. The classes (which cost a small fee) were advertised and students from novice through advanced registered. The response was tremendous. Thirty-eight students and nine instructors participated in the program. Students came from Canada, California, Minnesota, Missouri and many from the east coast states.

Each student was trained on sample boards first. Once the skills were perfected, the students worked closely with teachers on actual walls, ceilings and columns. Teachers were vigilant to maintain consistent quality of work, as well as blending separate decorative techniques into one unified design scheme.

Nine teachers and 38 students transformed 20,000 square feet of white walls. Thirty-one percent of the students participated in more than one class. Students traveled from Canada, California, Minnesota, and Missouri; with most from the East Coast of the U.S. Class size averaged three to four students. The average student invested $700 US dollars for a class that typically lasted 35 hours in one week. Depending on the subject being taught, some classes were two days, some three and most were four to five days. Class cost ranged from $450 to $1200 with the average fee of $700. Students stayed at local hotels at a discounted rate.

As a result of this program, the white walls of St. Cornelius are alive with illusions. A textured glaze warms the sanctuary and wood grained paneling appears below the chair rail in the courtyard area. Rich Venetian plaster glows around the entrance to the sanctuary. A landscape mural of wheat fields and the "Heavenly City" decorates the narthex and clouds and sky appear to float in the vaulted ceiling above.

Monsignor Parlante is thrilled with the result and dubbed it, "the divine makeover."

The public is invited to view the results of the Decorative Painting Apprenticeship Program at St. Cornelius Catholic Church on Saturday, January 26, Noon to 3:30 p.m. Students and teachers who participated in the program will attend and informally discuss the work.

St. Cornelius Catholic Church is located at 160 Ridge Road, Chadds Ford, PA 19317 in the Brandywine Valley suburb of Philadelphia.

Directions to St. Cornelius: From the intersection of Routes 1 and 202, proceed south on 202 for 1 mile. There is a traffic light at Ridge Road (you will see IWB on your right and also Old Ridge Village Shopping Center). Turn right at this light and proceed approximately 1 mile. Saint Cornelius will be on your right. After entering the campus, the Parish Life Center will be on the right. The Church is the building in the middle of the campus. Parking is available on either side of the Church.