A Short Biography of Christine Knize

Celebrating over 30 Years as a Faux Artist

I am one of the fortunate few who truly loves what they do for a living. From a young age, I knew I was destined to be an artist. Coming from a long line of creatives, I was immersed in art my entire life. My parents, who valued a well-rounded education, exposed me to the “old country,” taking me on trips to Europe and encouraging me to study my craft abroad. I spent two transformative years in Rome at the Tyler School of Art, an experience that remains the most inspirational period of my life. There, I developed a deep love for all things Italian—the art, the architecture, the food. I was particularly captivated by the frescoes of Pompeii near Naples and the charming towns of Tuscany. From Rome, I continued my studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, earning a Master of Fine Arts in painting and photography.

After graduate school, I moved to New York City and rented a a loft in Tribeca, just ten blocks north of the Twin Towers. I explored the photo-retouching industry working on large advertising slides and painting fabric color variations for the garment industry. In 1986, a seminar in Miami on digital photo-retouching introduced me to the tropics, and within a month, I had relocated. It was then that I realized I wanted to start my own business. I enrolled in a two-week faux finishing course in New York City, a technique that was largely unknown at the time. After completing the course, I became a faux painter and co-founded Faux Finishes, Inc. Initially, our work involved general painting projects with occasional faux treatments, often in Miami Beach during the early Art Deco hotel renovations of the 1980s. Soon, the demand for faux finishes skyrocketed, replacing wallpaper in homes across the city, and our bookings stretched months in advance.

In 1991, I launched my own company, Faux by Christine, Inc. Over the years, I collaborated with exceptional designers and had the privilege of working on projects for celebrated clients, including Oprah, Alonzo Mourning, Butch Davis, Andre Dawson, the Bob Marley family in Miami and the Bahamas, the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, and many more. From private residences to iconic establishments like Escopazzo Restaurant on Miami Beach and Carnival Cruise Line projects, my work has been both varied and rewarding. I am deeply grateful for the incredible clients and designers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a single thing about this journey—it has been everything I dreamed of and more.