My grandfather eventually moved all his family into a home he built by hand –with the help of his two sons– on Louisiana Avenue, in West L.A. He established his faux finishing business –the first in America, he was proud to say– and was soon making hotel lobbies look like Carrara marble temples; Movie stars –like Elizabeth Taylor– hired him to give their bathrooms and kitchens exotic wood finishes; and for years, he taught many lucky students his technique. He insisted my mother learn a trade rather than go to university, because "with a trade, you can work during a war.” And so she did, and when I grew up, so did I.
My grandfather was from northern England. His grandfather, was a cabinetmaker who taught him a method for simulating wood and stone, called "faux finish." Faux is French for false or fake, and my grandfather could make particleboard look exactly like fine oak or granite. During the war, he was sent to India, where he discovered sunshine. When he returned to his rainy home, he decided to follow a fellow neighbor who had moved to California, who could help him get a green card. My grandfather eventually moved all his family into a home he built by hand –with the help of his two sons– on Louisiana Avenue, in West L.A. He established his faux finishing business –the first in America, he was proud to say– and was soon making hotel lobbies look like Carrara marble temples; Movie stars –like Elizabeth Taylor– hired him to give their bathrooms and kitchens exotic wood finishes; and for years, he taught many lucky students his technique. He insisted my mother learn a trade rather than go to university, because "with a trade, you can work during a war.” And so she did, and when I grew up, so did I. Comments are closed.
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welcomeI am Jennifer Musi, the jewelry artist behind MUSIBATTY, and this is my blog archive.
Here you can find posts from December 2013, to May, 2016. I will no longer update this site. Please click on the link below to see my recent work. @musibattyOn Social Media
ConnectRespectI made this blog to share my work with you. I believe in generosity and I want to live in a world where we all inspire each other.
All of my designs and photographs are copyrighted. If you would like to reproduce them in any way, please email me first. Archives
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