Swan Studios Mural and Faux Finish Adventures

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Give 'em the Bird

Give 'em the Bird.

These delightful feathery friends are a great addition in murals. They add color and movement. They are a joy to paint and a joy to look at. When deciding on mural scene for your home, inside or on your lanai, consider having birds grace your scene:

The colorful parrots are painted onto a dome ceiling and greet guests as the enter the homes foyer:

Excerpt of a Limpkin from a lanai's panoramic Everglades mural:

SW Florida is blessed with amazing Heron's and are a favorite to be added in home's murals:

If you love pink, then flamingo is the bird for you:

For a serene beach scene, little sandpipers are a gently sweet touch to add:

SWFL is home to the protected Burrowing Owls. This scene is painted onto an owl lovers Garage Door:

Our large white heron's are angelic creatures:

Excerpt from a lanai mural that spanned the entire backside of a home:

Itty bitty hummingbirds migrate through SWFL in the Spring:

I've been blessed to have painted some many variety of birds over the years. The above is merely a handful of these feathered friends. You can see more on my Face Book page in the photo album titled titled "Birds":

https://www.facebook.com/swanstudiosinc

Be sure to follow all our art adventures on :

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/swanstudiosinc

You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/swanstudiosinccapecoral

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/SwanStudiosInc

and, of course, you can always reach us at :

http://www.swanstudio.net/

#birds #birdmural #muralpainting

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Name It

The most personal thing we each is our name. Granted more than one person may have the same name. You might even be named after your Mom or Dad, or even your grandparents (I am). But your name is still uniquely you. Even the inflection of saying a name can be different from on person to the next. We wear jewelry with our name on it, or a loved one’s name. We splash our last-names across the threshold of our houses. We wear our names on business lapel badges. And, of course, we have our names blazoned across our walls in our homes. Yes, you can have it printed onto family portraits. But what is even more fun is to have it painted as your own personal artwork. For inspiration for your own walls, here’s a look at some creative ways my client’s names have been incorporated as custom wall art:

For a home receiving a modern palette makeover (more on that make-over in an upcoming article), the children’s play area is visible in the open floor plan. The walls are painted in a concrete faux finish and the adorable little boys’ names are painted graffiti style in metallic silver:

Here’s a fun twist for a homeowner’s last name:

This homeowner's prized boat christened with a blend of the homeowner's names is incorporated

into their bedroom mural:

What to do when your restaurant is named after family… be sure to incorporate the name in a custom mural:

Of course, kids love to have their names larger than life on their bedroom walls:

Ready to have your name emblazoned onto your walls? Contact me at Swan Studios Inc:

http://www.swanstudio.net/

and be sure to follow all our art adventures on:

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/swanstudiosinc/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SwanStudiosInc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swanstudiosinc/

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/swanstudiosinccapecoral

#custommural #muralpainting #murals

Sunday, March 10, 2019

The Year of the Bath

According to the Chinese calendar this is the “Year of the Pig”. Here in Southwest Florida, however, 2019 is becoming the year of the bathroom upgrade. Today we’re featuring a bathroom upgrade with an Asian inspired wall stripe.

The motif came from an engraving on a picture frame. I sketched it out and then enlarged it using a projector to make a wall stencil. The pattern is painted with metallic painted close in color to the matte wall color to keep the finish soft.

The original cabinetry was kept, but the counter top was replaced with a gorgeous suede finished granite. The sink and faucets were replaced with a vessel style. The mirror frame was refinished as well.

The shower received a complete remake and now has glorious marble surround and a niche. Of course, all the hardware was upgraded and the rain showerhead is everyone's favorite.

Close-up shots of the glorious marble tile:

The floor is stunning in the same marble as the shower but with an unpolished finish:

The dressing area features the same gorgeous suede (leather) finish counter top as the sink area:

Ready to embrace the " Year of the Bath " resolution to upgrade ? Contact me at Swan Studios Inc:

http://www.swanstudio.net/

You can follow Swan Studio Inc's art adventures on:

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/swanstudiosinc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swanstudiosinc/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SwanStudiosInc/

You'll find Swan Studio Inc's entire portfolio on Flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/swanstudiosinc/albums

#fauxpainting #bathroommakeover #bathroomupgrade

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Changing Focus

Change is inevitable. Everyday brings a change to our lives. Some changes are major like a new career, a new love, a newborn baby. Some are minor changes like a new hairstyle or a few more or less pounds (I prefer the “less”). Some changes you cannot control; ie- the weather. Some changes you can control, such as your home’s interior. And that’s where the fun begins. I’ve been blessed to have repeat clients over the years. And as their lives have changed, we’ve changed their interiors. Four years ago, I worked on a home I called “Fifty Shades of Grey “ .

https://swanstudiosinc.blogspot.com/2015/03/faux-painting-fifty-shades-of-grey.html

So much has changed in the home owner's life and now it's time for a refresh of the interior. This year the central room's focal point has changed from ceiling to wall. Rather than do a complete over haul of the room, an abstract plaster art was created. I maintained the original base color ( Ocean Storm ). Plasters in Cobalt and Lapis were troweled on first. Then plasters in various shades of deep grey to pale grey were blended in. Once set, four shades of white in various textures were troweled on. The final step was to strategically place ochre plaster, then top with another layer of smooth Lapis plaster ( I used Venetian Gem Lapis by Faux Effects. I love the way it glides on like soft butter )

The results is a breath taking art piece that is now the focal point of the room. It's both energetic and sophisticated and a reflection of the personality and changes of the home owner's life.

Ready to change your room's focus? Contact me at Swan Studios Inc:

http://www.swanstudio.net/

You can follow Swan Studios Inc's art adventures on:

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/swanstudiosinc/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SwanStudiosInc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swanstudiosinc/

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/swanstudiosinccapecoral

#fauxfinish #fauxpainting #Venetianplaster

Sunday, February 17, 2019

We're Bouncing off the Walls!

We’re Bouncing Off the Walls!!!

We’re Bouncing off the walls- LITERALLY! Last year the Wild About PopCorn exterior mural was extended when the business was able to acquire the store spot next to the original location. Since then their business has been Poppin’. The characters created and painted in their custom mural are now coming to life. Starting with baseball caps and t-shirts. Then these adorable characters made their way to the Hammond Baseball Stadium in Fort Myers. So you can enjoy wild About Popcorn’s amazing flavors while enjoying America’s favorite sport – Baseball! Not only can you grab a photo op in front of their colorful PopCorn stand , you can meet one of the characters. The uber cool corncob will now be on the field in person ! So grab the kids, grab some fabulous popcorn, and watch your teams at the Hammond Stadium. Be sure to post your photos and hashtag #SwanStudiosInc and #WildAboutPopcorn

You’ll find the artist and creator Swan Studios Inc on

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/swanstudiosinc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swanstudiosinc

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SwanStudiosInc/

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/swanstudiosinccapecoral

To have your own custom mural and character creations contact Swan Studios Inc at:

http://www.swanstudio.net/

Wild About Popcorn is located at :

1311 Del Pardo Blvd suite d Cape Coral, Florida

order on the web at: https://www.wildaboutpopcorn.com/

#custommural #charactercreations #streetart #designconcepts

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Sitting on the Dock of the...Front Porch

Southwest Florida is the place to kick back, relax, watch the glorious sunsets, the dolphins play, and the tides roll in. In Cape Coral we’re know for our canals. In fact, we have over 400 miles of canals. That’s more than any city in the world. So, while we may not have the beaches of our sister cities that are a few minutes’ drive away (okay more like 20 to 30 due to seasonal traffic), we do have the most water front property. My husband and I prefer dining on our lanai every morning and evening to enjoy this amazing place and watch our menagerie of wild life that live in and along our canal.

As a muralist I’m frequently commissioned to paint parts of our great outdoors featuring palm trees, turtles, dolphins, and of course water ways. Typically, they are requested to be painted on a lanai or bedroom. Recently, however, I was commissioned to paint a home owner’s wonderful back yard canal view onto their front porch. Having a front enclosed area is unique in these parts. The home was originally built in the late 50’s and the current owner chose to enclose the front as an additional add-on to the home. A wall section shared with the homes adjacent garage was the perfect place for a mural as the residents love to see out front as much as they love sitting out back.

Taking some artistic liberty, we decided to not paint the homes on the other side of the canal. This custom painted mural allows the owner to enjoy his backyard view as his own personal oasis. It even comes complete with his own boat house and daily dolphins.

Love this angle view:

Dolphins are daily visitors in their canal:

A few of the palm trees exist in the "real" backyard. To keep the scene more serene, the neighbor's homes have been replace with a few more palms and tropical foliage: