Faux Painting

A new after school activity began mid-September for any SHP student to attend in person (socially distanced outside on Conway Court on campus) or via Zoom to learn “faux painting” from SHP’s technical director of performing arts, Fred Eiras.

 

Faux painting is a technique used in set design, murals, and other artwork to recreate the appearance of materials such as brick, marble, wood, etc., using three-dimensional painting.

 

About a dozen students are currently participating in the “just for fun,” free class (no credit is given), which on Friday added a woodworking component led by SHP creative inquiry teacher Alex Bucur. Two classes will be offered simultaneously going forward: Woodworking and Decorative Painting I and Woodworking and Decorative Painting II, with the former for students just joining the class, and the latter for students who wish to continue attending to learn advanced techniques.

 

Last Wednesday, students who began the course the previous week finished the first project, filling up blank canvases with faux brickwork done in acrylic paint, with a faux hole in the center of the bricks that served as space for a personal message.

 

Students on Friday built 12 owl/bird houses, and painted them with “either their own flair, or the faux wood planking technique we just learned,” said Eiras. Each piece included a personal message from the students. SHP farm and garden teacher Dr. Stewart Slafter will install the bird houses around campus “to keep our wild bird feathered friends in some shelter during rough weather and winter,” said Eiras.

 

The course, which meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., is slated to continue for the duration of the Fall semester. “Our goal is to see Conway Court filled with tables spread out six feet apart, and students enjoying the sun, paint, and wood, and their friends,” said Eiras. He stressed that any SHP student can join, and those who attend via Zoom will be given all supplies needed to take home, and will be able to socialize with other students over Zoom.

 

One of the participants, Grace Nuñez (SHP ’22), said she enjoyed seeing her friends again on Conway Court, relaxing, joking around, and creating community. “It's a place where I know I'll be welcomed, quirks and all. Mr. E truly gives us a balance between guiding us through each piece and giving us the creative freedom to make what we want.”

 

What: Faux Painting & Woodworking Classes

Who: Taught by Mr. Eiras and Mr. Bucur

When: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, after school from 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Where: Conway Court or remotely via Zoom

How: Contact Mr. Eiras at feiras@shschools.org for more information or to join