An art studio showcasing the latest paint techniques to revitalize practically any surface has opened in Spokane Valley.

Artworks Spokane features a 5,400-square-foot showroom and production/classroom studio where owner and decorative artist Nancy Jones and her team of painters and interior and graphic designers push the creative envelope.

“So after 35 years I finally have my dream studio,” said Jones, a self-taught painter who began with tole painting in the 1970s and by the mid ’90s was teaching paint technique classes. A recent move from her Spokane Valley home to a Coeur d’Alene condo prompted the jump into a grander art studio.

Admittedly, Jones says her new studio is more than what she could have imagined much earlier as product technology is what has brought her to where she is with her art. Most recently, the new federal nontoxic mandates have introduced new companies and products to the marketplace.

The Artworks Spokane team works with decorative finishes and designer plasters, and prepares faux and concrete finishes for walls, floors, countertops as well as fireplaces, shower stalls and furniture.

A walk through the studio showroom gives a glimpse of what’s available. There’s the concrete entry and the cork tile office floor decoratively painted by Jones. She’ll describe the surrounding wall paint textures and processes along the tour – Limestone Venetian Plaster vs. Travertino Italian Plaster, for example.

Then there’s the faux finishes along countertops resembling natural stone, as well as dozens of sample boards. Painted wall murals also capture the imagination. As well, a custom-made desk has a decorative leather-look inlay designed with plasters and paints.

“We tend to push the envelope because we are artistic,” says Jones. “We rarely do the same thing twice.”

Jones says most of her customers are homeowners wanting to change things up with color or resurfacing. However, one of the latest commercial projects was painting 1,700 pieces of furniture for Spokane’s Davenport Tower.

She’s also thankful for those with the do-it-yourself mentality and Jones offers classes in a variety of paint and resurfacing techniques. Class schedules are available at the Artworks Spokane website.