Artisan of the Month
Catherine Coy
Renaissance Painted Finishes
Elmhurst, Illinois

Catherine Coy started out working in the drapery industry. Working with fabrics of all styles and textures satisfied her need for creativity, and she quickly advanced.  In 1994 Catherine decided to strike out on her own and started her own decorating business.  In 1995, fueled by her admiration for Norwegian folk art and Scandinavian heritage, she began painting.  After she discovered this new love, she took dozens of classes and began competing in 1996 through INRA and Vesterheim Museum in Iowa.  She currently has won over 30 awards, and is the latest recipient of the national gold medal in Folk Art from the Vesterheim Museum in Iowa.  She says that her background in folk art gives her a good foundation for the murals that she helps to create through her scrollwork flourishes. In 2001 she began working with Bill Fisher and his company, Renaissance Painted Finishes, out of Elmhurst, Illinois.

The styles of ornamental scrollwork that Catherine typically paints are European flourishes, as well as, French, Italian, and Scandinavian designs.  When asked how scrollwork adds to a room, she says that her custom scrollwork designs add a lot to a room whether it is just over a doorway, across an entire room, or incorporated along with a motif.  It gives the room an added punch when added to faux finishes.  She also can add her stylized ornamentation over the top of work as a person would add jewelry to an outfit.  She says of this “since what I do is the last thing to be done, that gives me the ability to embellish where it is needed.”  To add an extra bit of eye-catching elegance to her work, Catherine often uses gold leaf and metallics. 

When asked what she likes about her work, she says, “I love to paint.  When your passion is your art, you fall in love with it.”  She also speaks of the joy that she gets from her client’s reactions to the original work that she prepares for them.  They are often struck by the fact that everything she does is completely freehand; therefore every piece is an original.  She also enjoys the creativity and variety that her job affords her.  She is constantly working on samples and new techniques, and always honing her skills.  Her canvas is ever changing; she has painted interiors, exteriors, and even storefront windows.

When asked about her favorite job, she spoke about a job that she had worked on with Bill Fisher.  During the job she painted her scrollwork overtop of Bill’s surfaces.  She says of this experience “I’m honored that Bill lets me paint over his finishes because he is a perfectionist.”  Catherine says of her work with Renaissance Painted finishes that between herself, Emily, and Bill, they have all of their creative bases covered.  She also adds, “after working together for so many years we have a feel for each other’s work.” She also spoke of work that she did on a semi-turret ceiling in a home in Wayne, Illinois.  The client was interested in foxes, so Catherine hid a fox within the ornamentation as a special touch for the customer.

Catherine enjoys working with her customers to pick out the perfect look for their space.  Using her knowledge of interiors that she gained from her work in the drapery industry, Catherine will begin by helping her clients to lay out their furniture and decide what it is that they want done.  She says that when it comes to ornamentation “clients usually only have a general feel for what they want.”  She assists them by showing them samples of her work, and then she lets them pick and choose what they like about the individual designs.  From there she works the desired elements into her final design. 

Catherine also spoke of meeting Kathy Carroll for the first time during Kathy’s anniversary open house.  She says of the event “I thought that it was very well organized.  It really got the creative juices flowing.  Kathy impressed me as a wonderful person.”

For more information about Catherine Coy and her work with Renaissance Painted Finishes, she can be contacted by phone at (630) 306-2623, or by email at norskpalette@yahoo.com.