Photo by Wessel Kok
		Art + business + technology = success Kathy Hansley's designs are on shades, tabletops and, hanging at far right, a floor cloth. Reprinted with permission of the author By DIANE DANIEL, Correspondent WHISPERING PINES -- Kathy Hansley is glad she listened to Dad. "My father said, 'You've got to have a business degree.' " So before she even took classes toward her fine arts degree, Hansley finished a business minor. Since graduating from Meredith College in 1980, she's found ways to combine those paths of study many times. "I really consider myself to be an artist, businessperson and product developer," said Hansley, 46. Her first job was doing window displays at Belk stores, and eventually she ran her own interior design firm in Raleigh for six years before moving to Maryland for several years. After returning to North Carolina a dozen years ago, Hansley opened shop again, this time as Arabesque, a faux finish and custom painting studio and retail shop in downtown Southern Pines. She has since moved the business to Whispering Pines and eliminated the retail side, relying on custom work and wholesale sales. The art part, however, keeps growing and morphing. Hansley, and her two staff artists, Mary Wright and Michele Molek, continue to do custom faux painting and furniture painting. Custom designs include floor cloths, cornices and window shades. The floor cloths and cornices are original works of art and will remain so, Hansley said. But since last year, after joining forces with Fusion Imaging Technology in High Point, Arabesque has been able to transfer its designs onto high-quality, nylon, pull-down window shades and even onto glass. The ability to photograph and scan original designs and place those images onto any number of surfaces opens up a world of possibilities, Hansley said. "I'm never going to get bored," Hansley said. "In fact I have a tendency to get so excited, thinking up 20 different things, that I have to pull back and say, 'focus.' " This month Hansley and staff are preparing for one of the four home furnishing wholesale markets they exhibit at every three months, two in Atlanta and two in High Point. Coming up in April is the High Point International Home Furnishings Market. "We learn from every market," said Hansley, who changes her exhibit and theme at each one and uses them for production introduction. Hansley does her artwork at her 1,300-square-foot studio, workshop and office space in a small strip mall a mile north of the Moore County Airport. Step inside and you'll be surrounded by a dizzying array of colorful images -- tropical, Tuscan, floral, country, seasonal, whimsical. Floor cloths lie under foot, while shades and wall hangings cover the walls. Customers can visit to get a firsthand look at the designs Arabesque carries and to order custom work. What will they like? Hansley calls her art traditional, whereas Wright's is more whimsical. Wright has worked with Hansley for 10 years. Molek, an expert faux finisher, was recently hired. Hansley also brings in other artists for different projects. "When I say my work is traditional, it's deceiving. It really should be called transitional," Hansley said. "It could go in a lot of different themes and environments. A contemporary home, or traditional. With Pottery Barn or antiques. "Some might say it's a little bit of a sellout," she said. "Some artists say, 'if someone likes my work, great, but this is me.' In my case, it's always been, what can I do that they will like? How can this work for someone's home that they won't get tired of it in 10 years." Clients Phillip and Nancy Keel, who recently moved into a new home in Pinehurst, relied on Hansley for several projects. "I enjoyed what she did so much that I kind of kept having her do a little more," Nancy Keel said. The work includes a faux stone treatment over the hood of her oven and another stone look-alike around the fireplace hearth. She also painted the entryway and the powder room. "It looks like copper. I wanted it to be very dramatic. It is just unbelievable," Keel said. "Kathy's not only good with what she sees, she can key in to the client," she said. When it comes to new items, exploring and expanding are apt terms. "It's a challenge to create the next product that the market might see," Hansley said. "A lot of manufacturing companies may dream up a product, but they have to find the artwork. In our case we're fortunate. We can wake up one morning, dream up the artwork, paint it, scan it and put it in production that afternoon." Her most recent imaging innovation is with glass. One customer, for example, opted to have a decorated glass top put on a coffee table instead of having the original artwork painted onto the wood. That way not only would the piece last longer, but it also could potentially be replaced. A corporate job Hansley did for Pentair Pool Products in Sanford included a pool scene mural and a custom-made conference table with a glass top that looks like a swimming pool. Hansley's other ideas for using glass include backsplashes and shower doors. Arabesque also licenses artwork to other companies. Hansley's and Wright's designs can be found on products ranging from $6 Tile Craft tiles at a hardware store to $12 rugs at J.C. Penney to much pricier ones from the high-end catalog company Horchow. By combining art, business and technology, Hansley said, "we aren't pigeonholed. Some might consider it scattered, but I consider it creative."
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