Swan Studios Mural and Faux Finish Adventures: September 2019

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Making a Little Girl’s Dream Come True

Children’s rooms are always a delight to paint. Their energy and creativity are boundless. Having them involved in the process of deciding what goes onto the walls of their rooms is important. It gives them ownership and pride. Of course, parents can try to be practical and say they want something that will last as they grow older. But let’s be honest: no one, especially a child will remain with the same style and taste for more than 4 to 5 years. So, go ahead and indulge in a colorful fantastical room décor.

A recent child’s room project brought together a fantasy of color, imagination, and room to grow. A new home- owner has a little girl at that stage called the “tween” years. The magical age of still part child but becoming a teen. She wanted splashes of her favorite colors on her wall. The inspiration is watercolor paints when they’re washed with water and become blended on paper. Recreating that effect on a wall requires working against gravity. I painted with both latex and acrylic paints. Each color on it’s on palette and separate soft full brush, additional water-based glaze, and rags. When working on the highest portions, I had the luxury of an assistant who could stop any sections from spreading down further than I wanted them to spread.

The water- color splashed wall was painted as a surprise for the home owner’s daughter. When she arrived home from school her squeals of delight said it all !

Here's a full look at the water-color splashed wall:

The artist in front of the water-color splashed wall:

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Friday, September 20, 2019

Sneak peek

Sneak Peek at a fun mural project I'm working on. My parakeet, Patches, was the inspiration for this adorable cheery character. #muralist #custommural

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Going Out on a Limb

What a fun mural assignment this was! True, we’d spent the prior 3 weeks mural painting in our lovely SWFL sweltering heat, making any paint job close to air conditioning seem like a luxury vacation. (May God bless Willis Carrier and all his descendants. Willis Carrier invented A/C ). But the mural truly was fun. The homeowner had several adorable animal wall-climbing sculptures by artist Ancizar Martin. I painted a simple tree silhouette with limbs reaching across the guest bath’s entry door and sink area. Then the wall-climbers were hung so that they appear to be repelling from tree limbs. It makes for a delightful, artsy, quirky guest powder room. We even made sure there’s room for the homeowner to add to the wall-climbing sculpture collection.

Cat and dog sculpture hanging from the central tree mural:

A monkey sculpture hangs from the limb over the entry door:

Fun angle from the adjacent shower room:

The mirror allows you to see the entire silhouette mural:

The limb over the mirrors is waiting for the next piece of the collection:

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Sunday, September 1, 2019

Dreamy and Glamorous

I’ve been blessed to have several art collecting clients lately. It is pure joy creating back drops for their collections. Art collectors also recognize the huge blank canvas in every room- the ceiling. The ceiling can set the tone for the entire room. One recent homeowner has a knack for art and antique collecting and a serious streak for glamour. Nothing is more glamorous than foil faux finishes and glitter faux finishes. It was also week one for the newest assistant. Delving in head-first he learned techniques for foiling, plastering, glitter-mica fluff, and oil rubbed bronze effects.

First up were the Master Bedroom and Sitting room ceilings along with two large niches which were at 2^nd floor height but seen from all areas on the 1^st and 2^nd floor. Each surface received a mix of silver foil and antique gold foil. Flicks of bronze foil were also added into the master ceiling surface. Lusterstone plaster was then troweled onto The Master ceiling and Sitting room ceilings. Using various shades of white Lusterstone the overall effect is dreamy and glamorous just like the homeowner.

Close-Up View of Sitting Room ceiling:

Master ceiling:

The ceilings were gorgeous even before the dreamy plaster was added:

The mingling of the silver and antique gold faux finish creates a glamorous backdrop

for the homeowners urns and statues:

Neutral tones of foil and plaster are perfect if you're accentuating art pieces. Of course, mixing foil and plaster doesn't mean you have to remain neutral. Some of my homeowners opted to have the ceiling be the work of art: