Movable Murals

A new trend in today's mobile society is to paint murals on canvas and hang them much as you would wallpaper. This method has several advantages over painting directly on a client's wall. Most importantly, the mural is strip able and can be hung in another location, or mounted on canvas stretchers and used as framed art. Secondly, the mural can be painted in the comfort of the artist's studio. No need for making appointments and working in the clients home for days on end. The painter can set his own schedule, after hours, weekends, whenever the urge strikes. Actually a win-win situation for all involved.

As the mural progresses, I send photos via the Internet to the client. I also recommend several visits to the studio for direct feedback. Before the final varnish is applied and the mural trimmed, I meet with the client and designer on location for a final consultation and color adjustment if needed.

Murals can be painted on a very low profile vinyl canvas material called cambric. It's smoother than artist canvas and so thin that it appears to be painted directly on the wall. I have used cotton or poly flax canvas with great success also. The advantage of using a woven canvas versus vinyl is the mural can be attached to canvas stretchers and framed at a later date.

Murals are gaining in popularity with more new homes with wine cellars and lower levels with more windowless rooms.

A mural should be a very personalized statement of the client's taste and interests. With this method, the mural can be stripped and rolled up for storage or a move to another location or home. As an artist, I hate the thought of murals being painted over by people who's tastes are very different from the former owners. Movable murals, problem solved.

n

Pentimento

Pentimento: a reappearance in a painting of a design which has been painted over.
One of my favorite words, (and a wonderful short story by author/ playwright, Lillian Hellman).
A somewhat romantic, mysterious phenomenon discovered in the works of many great master painters.

For a decorative painter it can be a nightmare. Imagine glazing a room and finishing the day with the satisfaction of a job well done, only to return the next morning to find what appears to be graffiti all over the walls. It happens very rarely, but if the walls have been written on with ink or permanent markers before they were primed and painted, many glazing liquids will bring such markings to the surface. After 22 years of decorative painting it's luckily only happened a couple of times to me. In both cases the walls were not primed with an oil or shellac based stain blocking primer. Yes, the latex varieties are easier to apply, and if the walls will not be glazed, the finish coats cover with no apparent bleed through. Glazing liquids, however, with their slow drying times can reactivate the inks and pull them to the surface.
If you are like me, relying on a painting crew to prep and base coat the walls properly, you may be up for an unexpected and unpleasant surprise.

Preventative measures:
Knowledge---
If you must draw on the walls, there are pencils.
Stains, permanent markers, ink, etc. must be primed with the proper primer.

Hopefully this will never happen to you. Today was my turn, Cheers!

Torn Paper on a Snow Day

The winter season has been very challenging this year. Along with all of the freezing precipitation come "snow days", when we wake up and realize it's not worth risking life and limb to leave the house unnecessarily. What to do? I look through gardening magazines and plan for Spring and watch out the window for a while. I soon realize it's a great opportunity to start a home improvement project, a "free" day to get things done. Just like the cobbler with shoeless children, I never seem to find the time (perhaps, desire) to work on my own home. Thanks to this lingering winter weather, I'm now on a total home improvement binge.
My current project is hanging torn paper. Like working a giant jigsaw puzzle, there's something very satisfying in the process. Several years ago my partners and I ran across a great method for filling in odd pieces in a hurry. When working with a partner, it's helpful to have one person tear and apply the paste several pieces at a time while the other person is hanging. The "hanger" yells out names of states for the shapes he or she needs to fill in. A long narrow Tennessee, or a mitten shaped Michigan, a Florida, etc. It makes the whole process go much faster and it's actually fun. This election year in particular, (with all the color coded state maps), even the geographically challenged can picture the shapes needed. Give it a try. Oh yea-- if you're yelling out Colorado, you're doing something wrong.

Varnish- Lost and Found

For years the studio has relied on Pratt and Lambert Varnish for a variety of reasons. It's a must for our oil glaze formulas, as well as finish coats for furniture and murals. As many of you know, it's been a challenge finding P&L varnish lately since our only Kansas City supplier stopped carrying the brand. Most companies don't carry a dull or flat sheen so it was getting a bit stressful to some of us with approved samples and scheduled jobs.

I'm pleased to say the almost "lost" varnish can be found close to the city. Decorative painter (and now best friend of the studio), Judy Klote discovered Beverly Lumber Co. in Leavenworth, KS. They have locations in Platte City and Riverside, MO. Though they don't carry the varnish at all locations, they will make sure the order is transferred if you call with some notice. Jim Sullivan is the man to talk to for special orders or transfers, at the Leavenworth Store. 913-682-3273

Thanks for the tip Judy! Networking with other artists in the field is very beneficial for us all. Everyone interested, please feel free to use this blog for comments, questions, or suggestions for future posts.

The new generation part 2

Here are a few examples of decorative finishes for the younger generation discussed in the previous post.

The horizontal stripes are sleek and fresh yet maintain a classic traditional feel. A ragged glaze over the entire wall is followed by a second layer of strie'.

The zebra stripes are hand painted in a dark chocolate over a cream basecoat, then glazed.

The new generation, tweens to teens

As a decorative painter for 20 years, I've worked with clients on interiors that are, for the most part, traditional, classic, and timeless. More of my clients are creating beautiful homes that are classic in architecture with all the latest advances in technology. Wine cellars, home theatres, gyms and spas, all call for new directions and creativity in creating decorative finishes that are classic and traditional with a modern twist.

One of the most intriguing trends of late are the huge suites of rooms for the children. Private or hidden play rooms, media centers, huge closets, study areas, and huge baths befitting the masters of the house all need to be decorated with a modern, fresh approach that appeals to the next generation. The tweens and the teens-- what to do with their areas of the house without completly compromising the approach taken in the rest of the home?

A few thoughts-
Start with color- brighter versions of the parents aesthetic
Turn it on it's side- take traditional stripes and make them horizontal, sleek and modern
Make it wild- add animal print motifs, zebra stripes or leopard spots as accents
Bring it back -the 60's in flower power art for play rooms and baths