Page 16 - The Decorative Painter Summer 2018

The Business of Decorative Painting
Erika Joanne
You can reach Erika at erika@erikajoanne.com for more info or to book a seminar. Supplies and patterns can be found on her website at www.erikajoanne.com.
Prudy Vannier cda
Like so many SDP members, Erika Joanne began painting when her children were young by taking a local decorative painting class with a friend. Her first project was painting an apple slice and she was hooked. Soon she was teaching classes and then began writing decorative paint- ing books with many projects for children – seven in all – either co-authoring with a friend or by herself. She didn’t stop there. Through learning by trial and error, watching the industry, and per- sonal growth as an artist and businesswoman, she is an expert entrepreneur developing new ideas and markets along the way.
Today you can find Erika’s mer- chandise in four decorative painting trade floors per year. Why does she
do it? Erika sees participating in trade shows as a necessity to show her art, sell her instructional material, and to know her customers. She keeps her travel simple. Recently, in the Oklaho- ma City Painting Palooza convention, Erika flew in a couple days prior to the trade show with just three suitcases of personal belongings and trade show inventory such as pattern packets. After a fast trip to a dollar store, Walmart and Goodwill, she purchased tables,
decorations, and risers to incorporate into her booth space. The result was an artful display with her pat- terns and inventory easily accessible to customers. Since she had sold some inventory she was able to take several of her new purchases home with her and the tables went with a friend.
Today one of Erika’s favorite mediums is col- ored pencils. She loves the versatility of them and has
14 TheDecorativePainter • SUMMER 2018
DECORATIVEPAINTERS.ORG
SDP Painter and Entrepreneur – Erika Joanne
experimented to develop new techniques to in- corporate this medium with acrylics. The pencil art, which she has termed “Innovative PencilTM,” is sandwiched between acrylic painting, thus adapt- able to a variety of surfaces other than paper. In order to fill the demand for classes in this exciting new process, she began a “CETiP” certification program for instructors (Certified Erika Joanne Teacher of Innovative PencilTM). Her teachers are trained specifically for teaching this specialized process and thus able to fill the many requests for learning the new process.
Besides innovative ideas, Erika has carefully branded herself and is well-known in our indus- try. Her business cards have unforgettable impact as they are works of art, front and back. Her art- ist signature, Erika Joanne Art, was made into a PNG and it is on all publications. Her merchan- dise is easily recognized through color, design and packaging. She has a small studio in Manchester, Wash., and a website for selling packets and sup- plies. Erika is active in SDP having created this year’s convention cover and served on various committees throughout the years. Hard work, in- novative designing, and nationwide participation in all levels of the decorative painting industry are the many keys to her success.