Mimi Gula

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October 12, 2010

Professional Decorating Help for the Holidays

Posted by Mimi under Christmas, Designed Impressions, Holiday Help, Mimi Gula, Portfolio | Tags: Christmas, decorate, Holiday help, Mimi Gula, professional artist, seasonal help |
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Even Santa has Elves…

Let A Professional Artist Decorate Your Home or Office This Holiday Season!

There’s no doubt about it. This is the season of joy and wonder—and absolutely incredible, often unrealistic, expectations.

Cleaning. Cooking. Shopping. Parties to attend. People to visit. Places to go.
Between what you want to do and what you’re obligated to do—at home and at the office—time and energy are in short supply.

You may not have the inclination or ability to transform your home to the winter wonderland of your dreams. But now you can celebrate the holidays in style, without the stress.

Let us do the decorating for you!

We create one-of a-kind holiday decorating for the discerning client, customized to your wants and needs. Our cohesive and current holiday décor will accentuate your existing space.

We offer a free or low-cost consultation (depending on your geographic location) to evaluate your space. We’ll give you a design proposal personalized to your style—whether you favor traditional, contemporary, rustic, elegant, vintage or a more eclectic look.

From design, installation and takedown, in both commercial and residential settings, your needs will be fulfilled in a professional and timely manner.

We can professionally decorate the interior of your home or business, including the front door. (Sorry, we do not offer exterior decorating services.) We’ll be happy to use the heirloom decorations you already own, purchase items to suit your style or combine both old and new for a look that’s uniquely yours.

If additional items are desired or necessary, you’ll be given the option to preview the selections and pay on approval.

The holiday decorations will be installed with a fresh, artistic eye—customized to your needs (with or without a Christmas tree, with or without post-holiday take-down and pack-up service). We’ll provide several options, based on the number of rooms, and alternatives you select.

Prices vary, but our minimum charge for any decorating job is $150. If you live within a 35 mile radius of Murrells Inlet, we’ll be happy to provide a consultation free of charge. There is a $75 time and travel charge if you live beyond 35 miles.

Contact Mimi:

custom-art@sccoast.net
843-215-7326 (office)
843-267-3994 (cell)

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Pennsylvania native Mimi Gula opened Designed Impressions in 1994. The business specializes in commissioned art, murals, trompe l’oiel, faux finishes including plasters, and custom framing. In 2001, Mimi relocated to Murrells Inlet, where she continued her business in the Grand Strand area.

As a member of International Decorative Artisans League, Mimi attends an annual con-vention to update her skills and familiarize herself with the latest trends. She is also a member of the Waccamaw Arts & Crafts Guild, and a former member of the Som-erset County Artists Association and the Laurel Arts/Dressler Center. A more re-cent tradition, which she also cherished, was the Hospice Tree Volunteer Project. In 2003, as a member of the Friends of Huntington Beach group, she decorated a live tree that was auctioned to benefit Tidelands Hospice for several years.

(Mimi is a professional artist, but will be happy to refer clients with more extensive decorat-ing needs to her favorite interior designers, on request )

November 10, 2008

Explore the Site

Posted by Mimi under Mimi Gula, Portfolio | Tags: decorative painting, Designed Impressions, Mimi Gula |
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I’ve filled the website with samples of my work, including ceilings, murals, framed paintings and decorative furniture. Here are some of the terms you’ll encounter and brief definitions to help you visualize the techniques.

Trompe l’Oeil (pronounced tromp loy) is a French term for “fool or trick the eye.” For more than 3,000 years, the art form has been used create the illusion of three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface. Accuracy with perspective, shadows and tightly rendered details are required for good trompe l’oeil images. Both playful and intellectually serious, the artist toys with spectators’ seeing to raise the question, ‘Is it real or is it not?’ These are most effective when painted in an area viewed at a distance.
Faux Bois (foe bwa) is a French term for “false wood.” It refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media.
Grotessca is fine decorative art discovered in the remains of Roman bathhouses, the ruins of Pompeii and Nero’s palace. It was revived during the Renaissance. The art consists of human figures, flora and fauna, and decorative flourishes in a classical symmetrical design. It is ideal for tapestries as well as furniture.
Frescoes were originally works of art painted on a thin layer of wet, fresh, lime mortar or plaster. Today, artists can mimic the look with a faux technique in which the wall or canvas is treated to appear aged, then typically painted with soft earth colors to create a worn appearance. When I do a fresco on canvas, it can either be framed or applied as a mural directly to the wall, in a manner similar to wallpaper.
Tapestries are uniquely personalized panels, which can often be the solution to having a decorative piece for that odd-sized space. They are custom-cut regarding size as well as theme then distinctively bordered, sometimes with the addition of jewels, usually Swarovski crystals or pearls.
Grissaile (griz-i) is a painting technique by which an image is executed entirely in shades of gray or other color. It is usually modeled to produce the illusion of sculpture or relief. It was popular among 15th-century Flemish painters as well as in the late 18th century when artists used it to imitate classical sculpture in wall and ceiling decoration.
Antique Distressed Mirrors are another personalized item. The mirror is chemically altered or distressed, masked and painted from the reverse side. This decorative art form is making a big comeback in fine home furnishings today as an ornamental as opposed to a functional piece. It fits all modes of décor, including contemporary. Please keep in mind that mirrors are a bit difficult to photograph.

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October 22, 2008

About the Artist

Posted by Mimi under Designed Impressions, Mimi Gula | Tags: Designed Impressions, Mimi Gula, murrells inlet, pittsburgh artists, south carolina. somerset |
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Pittsburgh native Mimi Gula traces her interest in art to her childhood. Growing up in the formerly smoggy hills of the Steel City, art became a way to both reflect and escape reality. Focusing primarily on color and design, she won recognition at some of the area’s leading art schools: St. Joseph’s Art Academy, Carnegie Mellon and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Mimi works on a broken gold leaf ceiling.

As an adult, she moved with her husband and their two sons to a scenic mountain community in Pennsylvania’s rural Somerset County. Mimi continued to experiment with many mediums while working full time at an office job. She eventually returned to school to update her skills, earning a degree in Commercial Art and Design. In 1994, she opened Designed Impressions, specializing in commissioned art, murals, trompe l’oiel, faux finishes including plasters, and custom framing.

In 2001, Mimi relocated to South Carolina. She now lives in Murrells Inlet, where she has resumed her business in the Grand Strand area.

As a member of International Decorative Artisans League, Mimi attends an annual convention to update her skills and familiarize herself with the latest trends. She is also a member of the Waccamaw Arts & Crafts Guild, and a former member of the Somerset County Artists Association and the Laurel Arts/Dressler Center.

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