Day 2 GIVEAWAY $500...The 12 Days of Artistically Speaking Grand Launch Hallapoloosa

Today is Day 2... of the giveaways for:

The 12 Days of Artistically Speaking
Grand Launch Hallapoloosa

Pietre Dure inlay, hand painted and stenciled, copper leafed tray by Connie Cotita. Value $500. The title of the tray is "Redemption." click photo to enlarge

Connie's Turtle Shell, ($500)

Pietre Dure inlay, hand painted and stenciled, copper leafed tray.

The title of the tray is "Redemption."

Close-up photos below

In the mid 1990s art majors Connie and Randy Cotita, formed Studio Abbellire, which focuses on their marbling, wood graining, gilding, applied ornament and custom carpentry talents. Connie is a master of faux pietre dura.

Pietra dura is an Italian phrase that means "hard stone," and usually refers to the technique of creating intricate inlaid pictures from shaped colored stones. The stones used are usually silicates, including agates, alabaster, amethyst, jade, jasper, lapis lazuli, malachite, onyx, and topaz. The craft, developed in antiquity, originally consisted of shaping stones with small saws, wires and other metal instruments and adding them to decorative objects such as vases or small sculptures. The art was revived during the Renaissance by Italian craftsmen and the first hard-stone workshop was established by the Medici family in Florence in 1588. The art was also practiced at the courts of Naples, Madrid, Prague, Paris and elsewhere. From the late 16th century, the colorful stones were arranged on furniture as landscapes and flower scenes.

A major inspirational turning point for the couple occurred in 2002 when they were invited to join the International Decorative Painters Salon. Inspired by the immense talent and camaraderie of some of the finest of decorative artisans they created the website, www.InfauxWorld.com, as an informational service to the industry.

In 2005 and 2006, Connie and Randy were invited to display their work at the Salon in Philadelphia and the Netherlands, respectively. Their work has also been displayed in the M.C. Escher Museum in The Hague and featured in Delta Style magazine, The American Painting Contractor and The Artistic Stenciler. Connie is a certified stencilist through the Stencil Artisans League, Inc. (SALI).

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