Holly Whiting, owner of Artistic Finishes, has been working in the fine and applied arts for the better part of three decades. Unable to decide on a specific art focus, Holly majored in studio art, trying out everything from etching to stained glass, drawing to paper making. Everything except painting. Didn’t like it.

Over the course of the next 20 years, Holly worked in graphic arts, doing page layout for catalogs and high end advertising, as well as technical drafting in the structural engineering field. During this time, Holly continued to experiment in varied arts, making stained glass windows and lamps for her home, selling handmade paper bowls at a local craft store, and drawing portraits of her two girls, Natalie and Adrienne.

With the approach of her 40th birthday, Holly felt the pull to do something more creative, and to get out from behind a desk. Having faux finished all the rooms in her home (before she ever heard the term faux finishing), she set out to make a living beautifying people’s homes.

Starting out with simple glazes, Holly gradually added more unique, and exotic finishes. Combining the information from the many books on faux finishing, with professional training classes, she could now offer truly original work. Her offerings now include high end plaster finishes, murals and decorative concrete. In addition, Holly now teaches basic finishing classes, as well as one specialty, her favorite: trompe stone.