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Watch a video highlighting students producing a one of a kind mural inspired by the famous Villa d'Este in Tivoli.  Fantastic press coverage for our students!

Urban Finishes are the rage right now with the movement of the population to the inner city.  Fantastic ideas for accent walls and clean design.

Nicola and Leslie Vigini are masters in the art of Faux Finishing.  They are devoted to the instruction of faux and decorative finishes following the traditions of the past, using modern techniques.  Nicola and his team of students are responsible for the beautiful finishes you see on the walls of the San Antonio Living studios.  Nicola and Leslie offer many services at their studio, but specialize in sharing artistic knowledge with future students.  They offer several workshops in their studio every month Read More

Leslie Vigini (www. ViginiStudios.com) is a wonderful instructor, patient and eager to share plenty of her knowledge beyond the course you're taking.
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I am pleased to present to you the English translation of the books previously published only in French, of Yannick Guégan and Roger Le Puil.  This volume brings to you the highest level of traditional French decorative painting.  It is unique in offering a broad repertoire of decorative painting, including not only exceptional patinas and faux marbles, woods and masonry that are subjects familiar to every trompe l'oeil painter, but also many unusual and exciting subjects, such as drapery, mosaics, and marquetry.  In addition, it offers a host of rare and almost forgotten techniques, such as painting under glass, marouflage, and imitation stained glass and laquerware, that are little known here. Read More

After what seemed a decade of organizing, the dates of Salon 2002 approached quickly. The organization of Salon 2002 began in 1999 at the Swedish Salon after a whirlwind request and acceptance on our part. It was an exciting and daunting task and all those who have hosted feel the sense of relief once the date arrives. 

As a young man, Nicola Vigini would walk through the streets and buildings of his native Rome, totally oblivious to the "hidden" art surrounding him.

Here's me, in faux painting heaven. I'm troweling on Faux Effects Quartzstone, learning to do a sample called Terrazo as part of a class I started referring to as faux college. I've always been a knowledge dork, never wanting to finish college, wishing I could go back someday. This week, the combination of new knowledge and new knowledge about painting made it one of my best weeks ever. I could have used a little lipstick in that photo (my grandmother and mother trained me well, but they weren't there to remind me to "put on a little lipstick.") Read More

Are you ready to fulfill your dream of painting in Italy?  This is the year to join Vigini Studios, Inc. in celebrating 10 golden years of teaching in the most enchanting country in the world. We plan not only to inspire you, but also to pamper you during your stay in the charming and culturally rich village of San Martino al Cimino, 45 north of Rome, near Viterbo, the papal seat prior to the Vatican. Read More

In my constant search for inspiration, I look back into the past to find sources for new creative ideas.  Growing up in Rome, surrounded by an environment so rich in history and art, inspired my future as a decorative artist.  Grottesca origins can be traced back to Ancient Rome around the first century AD and has always been a favorite style. Read More

A plain white wall doesn't cut it anymore.  How drab. How quaint.

Instead of stark white walls, America's homes are awash in ancient stucco, Corinthian columns, delicate ivy and broad vistas of rolling countryside.  And it'll all thanks to paint.

Whether you're sponging, marbling, ragging or painting the likeness of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel inside your home, a white wall is a canvas waiting to be transformed into something grand.

Original Art from the Artists of GUILD.com is a celebration of beauty in art.  It features more than 250 objects and two-dimensional artworks available to consumers worldwide during the first year of the GUILD.com website.  As such, it documents the remarkable union of new technology and enduring aesthetic values. Read More

Creating illusions with paint Is what has taken 44-year-old artist Nicola Vigini to the top of the faux finishing explosion.

Born in Rome in 1959 as the son of an architect, Vigini learned about drawing from his father, Lino Vigini.  "I use what my father taught me in a lot of my work, helping him with model drawings and learning about passion for art as a young boy,” Vigini said.

Decorative painting has become standard for walls.  Today, textured looks have overtaken simple faux glazing techniques - such as ragging, sponging, and stippling - in popularity.  Multilayerd glazes, embedded with materials like glass and metal, and Venetian plaster are relatively easy to execute one you know all the little tricks; they do, however, require a lot of more planning, preparation, and practice than the old standbys. Read More