Nina Zubkova was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida. Her father was a highly regarded artist and muralist from Russia who taught Nina color theory and instilled a love of fine art and free expression in her as a child.
After moving from Miami Beach to Palm Beach, she decided to indulge in her passion for art by faux finishing the walls of her new home.
Zubkova, an artist in her own right, received inquiries for work in residences and commercial buildings. Designers who saw the work encouraged her to do more and referred clients. She began expanding her knowledge of finishes and plasters as commissions came in and clients and designers requested more detailed work. She discovered the benefits of Italian Lime Plasters… they did not have the synthetic binders found in most other finishes and therefore were easier to apply and provided an amazing texture and rich colors that are derived from earth pigments.
Fellow artisans and designers told Nina that they liked the plasters--- but didn’t want to wait a month or longer for supplies to arrive from Italy. So she formed Dimensions International to import and stock plasters and lime finishes; and, to offer monthly workshops to train artisans in application techniques. The company has a warehouse that ships product the same day as ordered and has trained hundreds of applicators. Dimensions is expanding its lines to include Stucco Tradition a spray-on exterior lime stucco and Tadelakt, the ancient Moroccan plaster.
Zubkova’s love of art has made her passionate about Italian Lime Plasters. Her goal is to educate the design community and the public about the benefits and value that these finishes offer.
Laure Caraby
Instructor
A native of Paris, France, Laure began painting at the age of 12 inspired by her aunt. She later graduated from Atelier Montmarte in Paris in 1992, Tarpon Art Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Atelier des peintres en Decors in Paris, and is a Certified Dimensions Artisan.
Laure has traveled extensively and derives her unique style and inspiration from experiences in Australia, Polynesia, North Africa, China, Europe, and America.
An accomplished artist, Laure's talents include murals, frescos, trompe l' oeil, Italian plaster techniques, and faux finishes. She is a proud member and volunteer of the Broward Art Guild, Bonnet House, and the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art. Her website is starbrushinc.com.
Elke Falkenberg
Elke Falkenberg is a successful decorative finisher, an accomplished artist and an aspiring jewelry designer. She was born, raised and educated in Europe. Elke has a degree in design engineering and worked in that field in Europe and the U.S. A lifelong interest in art led her to leave the field of engineering and pursue a more creative path. In the 90’s she owned and directed the Rice and Falkenberg Gallery on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida. This gallery of fine art represented some of the most successful contemporary artists in this country and Europe and she continues to follow trends in the art world. After retiring from the very demanding world of the art business, she decided to work on developing her own artistic talents.
While observing the appeal of “old world” finishes used in homes in the Palm Beach area, she decided to study the technique of faux finishes and European plasters. She studied with and received certificates from Rocky Mountain School of Painting, Dimensions International, and Royal Design Studio in San Diego and is a certified Skim Stone applicator.
Elke studied extensively with instructor/Master Artisan Pierre Ricard here in the U.S. and in France. She was fortunate to have been a part of an ongoing restoration project of a 12th century church in the south of France in 2005. Other classes in France included the art of Fresco painting using egg tempera and Tadelakt, a plastering technique originating in Morocco. Her products of choice are the authentic lime based stuccos of Italy. Elke’s company is Elegant Interior Finishes based in Palm Beach County, Florida.
Pierre Ricard
Instructor/Master Artisan
Pierre started painting murals, walls and ceilings, focusing on 17th and 18th century techniques. During that same time Pierre also became proficient in faux marble, wood graining, aged patinas, lime based paints, textured marble stuccos and all the antique Venetian plaster techniques. Pierre owns and manages a design company that is based in Montpellier, France, which was established 22 years ago, and employs a full time staff of artisans.
Pierre is a graduate of the Verona Academy in Italy where he received specialized training from Italian Masters. Pierre also studied and graduated from the French Lime Works Charter School which is based in Biot (Cote d' Azur) where he studied Interior Design, based on traditional lime works and natural earth pigments (based at Roussillon en Provence).
Pierre is a certified trainer from the Federation Compagnonique des Metiers du Batiment. This is the famous master artisans school based in Paris where Pierre teaches the Venetian plasters and lime based paints techniques. He is a highly certified Instructor from the National French Building Unions section of lime based paints and plasters. . He is an exclusive Trainer and technical advisor on pure lime based products for Dimensions International. Pierre currently teaches the Advanced Level Workshop that focus on authentic application techniques based on Greek, Roman, Barocco, and Renaissance styles. He teaches in the US, Canada, Latin America. Pierre speaks French, English and Spanish.
