We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deanne Lenehan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Deanne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

There are many issues I could touch on regarding the public school system in this country but I will focus on one in particular.

My personal experience as an educator in the public school system was eye opening. My first four years I taught at one of the highest ranked counties in Maryland. However the inner workings left me stunned. I

I taught in two different counties in Maryland and they had very different approaches to post high school careers. One had a robust vocational tech program where students that were not tracking for college could learn a trade or service program that would enable them to pursue a career in a multitude of professions such as hospitality management, transportation service, construction, arts and graphic media, agricultural arts, and more.

The other county had eliminated much of their vo-tech program and focused mainly on science and technology. I had students who would have thrived had they had the opportunity to take courses at the vocational school but instead were assigned to my art class because they didn’t fit anywhere.

I believe that our society needs to understand that not every student is college bound and that non-academic career paths are worthy of respect. Personally, I did not know that there was such a thing as decorative painting. In art class we focused on the history of fine art and not so much on applied arts and crafts. In Europe to become a house painter, one must focus not only on the how-to’s of regular painting, but also on the art of woodgraining, marbling, and other imitative skills. There are apprentice programs and post secondary schools such as IPEDEC and Van Der Kelen that teach such skills. Had I known about the field of decorative painting I would have not become a teacher. I only chose teaching because I wanted to make sure I had a steady paycheck.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Lenehan Studios is a decorative painting company serving the mid-atlantic and expanding nationally, particularly in Los Angeles. We specialize in custom painted decoration which includes murals, artistic faux finishes, custom fine art, and the traditional decorative arts such as gilding, stenciling, faux bois, marbleing and more. During my years as a high school art teacher I learned the importance of organization and effective communication. Along with my with dedication and drive, Lenehan Studios has been in business for over 20 years.

I believe that my fine art background coupled with my years of teaching sets me apart in that my studio can offer a range of services that can solve many design challenges for my clients. I earned a BS in Art Education at Towson University and as studied at Pratt Institute, McDaniel College and have had the fortune of being able to study nationally as well as in Italy and France, under the tutelage of the industry’s top artisans. My work has been seen in over a dozen designer show houses and she is the first decorative artist to have a course on decorative painting accredited by the Interior Design Continuing Education Council. I isam the president of the local chapter of the International Decorative Artisans League, founder of a local arts guild, the Ellicott City Arts Coalition, and am an Industry Partner of the American Society of Interior Designers.

I have had experience working in fast paced and challenging settings including heading a team of 30 artists to work on an episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” I was voted “Baltimore’s Best” Decorative Artist by Baltimore Magazine, and my work has been published regionally including Baltimore Magazine, Howard Magazine and Home and Design. Lenehan was honored to worked with the Baltimore Ravens Foundation to create a series of murals for an elementary school media center renovation. Her fine art has been selected to be exhibited in several juried shows in the region as well as New York City. Most recently I worked with ASH NYC on their latest boutique hotel in Baltimore, the Ulysses.

Besides providing unique and innovative painted solutions for interiors I have a collection of fabrics and wall coverings under the name LS Home. I love to collaborate with interior designers and clients alike to create unique and beautiful spaces that will be enjoyed for years.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The biggest challenge that I had to overcome was actually several events that occured within a span of a year and a half. in 2014, my mother was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and died 9 months after her initial diagnosis. Being an only child, I was very close to my mom and that loss precipitated the demise of my marriage. I suffered some major personal setbacks and that summer my studio took on 2 feet of water during the major flooding event in 2016 which devastated historic Ellicott City, Maryland.

After going through that ordeal I decided that I could either give up and go get a job at a paint store or re-establish my business which essentially came to a halt so that I could be there for my mom and help my dad take care of her. After much debate I decided to hire a business coach which was the motivation I needed to get excited about painting again.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I was fresh out of college and took a postition teaching high school art. I immediately realized that I was not meant to teach but because I had a scholarship that required a certain number of years in the teaching field I couldn’t quit. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but the idea of not having a steady job wasn’t an option. One of my coworkers asked me if I was interested in painting a mural for their daughter’s nursery. I accepted and not knowing how to approach the project I decided to charge $20 and hour. I timed myself and it took 24 hours to complete. I made $420 and was hooked. I could make money doing art and be my own boss. I was never good with authority and this was a perfect solution. At the time my husband was working at a local gym and met a woman who owned a decorative painting school. I decided to take a class and I learned about plasters, glazes, and other faux finishes. From there I reached out to other friends and family, created a website, sent emails and started filling my weekends, holidays, and summers with projects. In 2007 I was cut to part time and the following year they didn’t have a position for me. I took it as a sign that it was time to may my side hustle full time. I’ve never looked back, even despite the economic crash of 2008. I worked hard doing social media, in person networking events, and working in local decorator showhouses where I met several local designers, some of which I still work with today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lenehanstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenehanstudios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lenehanstudios
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanne-lenehan-51a76011/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZtapC0gooop_WAgIEi56Q