Spring? Where are you??

If you're like me, you are going batty trying to endure the last vestiges of this epic winter. Mother nature is such a tease! Apparently she's giving us one more wallop tonight. Oy vey! To hopefully encourage the coming of spring, I've shared a bit of warmth and light with few past projects that I did that are nature inspired. There are many more in my portfolio.

Enjoy!

Sun through the Trees

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Garden Doorway (mural on canvas)

Safari Bedroom

Safari Bedroom

Straughan Environmental

Straughan Environmental

Straughan Environmental

Straughan Environmental

Straughan Environmental

Straughan Environmental

Straughan Environmental

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Main Street Ellicott City (prints available)

Airplane Bathroom

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Girl's Bedroom

MD State Police Dept of Corrections Training Facility Mural

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Modern Chinoiserie Mural

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BSO Decorator Showhouse 2013

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"Cosy Corner" is the title designer Paula Henry of Simply Put Interiors gave to this tiny little bedroom at this year's BSO Decorator Showhouse.  Previously owned by legendary Baltimore Colts Quarterback Johnny Unitas, the house was transformed by almost two dozen designers. This year Paula enlisted my services to create a unique ceiling treatment and textural wall finish.  In addition, I created sketches of some of our beloved pets, my cats and her dogs.

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It was a whirlwind trying to get all of the work completed but the final result is a stunner.  Paula always has a great way of visualizing and executing a beautiful environment.  I'm always happy to be a part of her projects.

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A special thanks goes to my Friend in Faux, Alison Roy Harrison who owns Columbia Interior Finishes.  Alison bailed me out and executed the finishes on the walls while I was busy trying to finish the ceiling before deadline. Thank you Alison!!

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Modern Chinoiserie

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A few months ago I was contacted by designer Heidi Dripps to create a finish that was inspired by a wallpaper that the client loved.  The wallpaper was beautiful but there were certain things that didn't work for the client. One, the colorways weren't quite right. And two, the composition wasn't just so. The designer and client wanted me to recreate the feel of the contemporary imagery but create more of a mural.

In keeping with the printed look I created stencils and masked out each branch so that I could stencil them also.

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The final look is traditional and contemporary at the same time.

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An example of traditional chinoiserie:(‘Badminton’ design in standard design colours on Mocha Williamsburg. Photography by Fritz von der Schulenburg.Interior design by Bunny Williams.)

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Source:http://www.degournay.com/

Definition of Chinoiserie (pronounced shin-wa-sur-ee) courtesy of wikipedia: a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences. It is characterized by the use of fanciful imagery of an imaginary China, by asymmetry in format and whimsical contrasts of scale, and by the attempts to imitate Chinese porcelain and the use of lacquer-like materials and decoration.

Second Round

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A year ago I worked with the same client who had me complete a plethora of work for them.  This year I'm back for round two.  Previously I had painted columns, applied metallic plaster, and done some artwork for the children's rooms:

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This time, we focused on artwork for the stairwells and some for the master bedroom.  I also was asked to add to the children's room.  My last post I showed you how a painting evolves form a sketch to a final work.  That was for this client. Here are the other pieces for which I was commissioned. Hope you enjoy!

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cloud mural large

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tryptic

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sitting room

And...

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Evolution of a Painting

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A painting starts with a series of sketches.  To get to this point there are several hours of research, designing, discussions with the client, revisions, then final approval.  Sometimes the sketch is done in color. For this piece, we had images of stone that we selected for age, color and patina.

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I usually start with an underpainting of values to help create the depth before adding color. This also helps with getting to the right value without a ton of paint. I don't always do this, but for Trompe L'oeil it helps me see the dimension and establish light and shadow placement.

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Next I add the tones of the stone.  I premix my main colors and tweak them on the palette as I go.  This piece has a lot of warm shadows and cool highlights.  You can also see my reference material.  I spend countless hours searching for the right references.  Without them, I am unable to really replicate the natural qualities of the material.

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Once the main areas are blocked in, I like to go back and tweak areas to make sure its cohesive.  The center will have a very specific image that will look like a bas relief carving.  I shot reference photos, including Mike's hands pouring water.  The water in the carving was the most difficult. I wanted it to look fluid but at the same time it had to be "carved" out of the stone.

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The final piece, varnished before cutting and installation. You can see the pitting and cracking that I added for authenticity.

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Installation was done by Shelly Wilkins of Walls Etc.

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And the final result:

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Tada!

I added shadowing on the wall once it was installed.

A note on canvas installation vs painting on site...

I really prefer to paint on canvas to painting on site for several reasons.  It allows me to paint in the comfort of my studio, and the client doesn't have to put up with me for the weeks it takes to do the work.  It also allows the painting to become transportable.  In the case of a move, it is very easily taken down with some warm soapy water.  The investment is not left behind! Its great for kids rooms too.

The art of painting on canvas and adhering it to the wall is a 3000 year old method referred to as "marouflage." You can learn more about the technique here.

Some public examples of this type of work can be seen at the Library of Congress, The Capitol Building, the Biltmore Estate, and countless others.