A Chicago artists` studio has been pelting its customers with postcards that at first glance seem politically incorrect: They advertise what appears to be a zebra skin.
But the ”skin” turns out to be an artist`s rendition on a canvas floor cloth. It`s real enough to conjure the Serengeti plain.
Cindy Simes, head of Simes Studios, for whom artists have been creating the faux zebra-skin rug and other floor cloths, says this ersatz East African collection evolved from their normal studio work-”murals and faux wall finishes, stenciling, trompe l`oeil and painted furniture and a lot of painted floors, and painted faux-marble floor cloths.”
The floor-cloth safari started off ”when we happened to make one faux zebra skin for one of our designers, Lynn Hummer, of Lynn Hummer Interiors,” Simes says.
An oil-base varnish allows them to be wiped clean with a damp cloth.
”They`re good for problem areas, such as an entry way because they`re easy to clean and they`re fairly durable,” Simes says.
”The worst thing that can happen is if their surface gets scratched, but even if they get damaged, they can be retouched with a tiny brush.”
The floor cloths cost $700 to $1,800, depending on size and type of design and finish.
Simes Studios is at 435 W. Diversey Pkwy.; call 312-327-7101.