Thursday, February 28, 2008

Faux Painting: AFTER: Interior in Harlem, NYC

A pale sage green venetian plaster was applied to the walls of the living room to complement the color of the brick and pale sage green cement outside, effectively bringing the outdoors in. A faux black-brown leather treatment was applied to the kitchen walls to match the colors of the black-brown dining furniture. Next month, an off-white venetian plaster will be applied down the hallway:





Faux Painting: BEFORE: Interior in Harlem, NYC

BEFORE pictures taken at penthouse apartment in Harlem, on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. and Frederick Douglass Blvd. Since these are two of my all-time favorite heroes, I am honored to be given the opportunity to help make their intersection a more beautiful place:



Monday, February 25, 2008

Music: Abou Chiabi

Dear Friends :

The following can be viewed on any relatively high-speed computer anywhere or on TV in Manhattan:

This Wednesday, February 27th, at 7:30 PM(EST-that's NYC Eastern Standard Time), on Channel 67, I am re-airing a half-hour program of a recording I made in Paris in 2003 for my shoestring cable show Famousx2. Abou Chiabi, whom some of you have seen already playing with his father (same name), from the Comoro Islands, on my program. These guys are exceptionally good and versatile musicians and songwriters and one day may hit in NYC; one never knows.

In this program, Abou Junior [see link to his website below] sings songs he has written in English and in Swahili. There is a song against the Iraq war, a song about Mumia Abu Jamal, a song about John Africa and the bombing of the Move headquarters in Philadelphia in 1985 and other songs. It is definitely worth setting your VCR, DVR or any recording devices you may have on your computer. I promise you will be humming these songs for a long time. And the sound quality is good!

If you are in Manhattan and have access to Time Warner, you can see it this Wednesday February 27th, at 7:30 PM (EST-that's NYC Eastern Standard Time) on Channel 67. On the RCN system, that should be Channel 85 or thereabouts.

If you are outside of Manhattan, anywhere in the world, and you have a good high-speed connection on your computer, you can go to http://www.mnn.org and click on channel 67 to see it at the same time.

Sometimes MNN does screw up broadcasts, but usually they air things without too many problems.....Be patient if it screws up for a few minutes.

Best,
Jason Howard

Abou Chiabi Website

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Great Art: Mirage Studios

Venetian plastered walls and sample boards at Mirage Studios.

Master plasterer Kevin McGovern reveals some of his trade secrets to me.

Samples of Lusterstone.

Decorative concrete countertop production.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Friday, February 8, 2008

Faux Painting: Marmorino Plaster

BEFORE:
With basecoat colors as specified for plaster and colorwash:

AFTER:
With textured marmorino plaster and colorwash:

PROGRESS PHOTO: