Elevator Lobby Mural

Time for another visit to the Beach, via mural!
Later, these two areas will have flying pelicans, some beach side vegetation, a turtle, maybe some dolphins in the water, that sort of thing.
If I am allowed to, I really want to paint out/disguise some of the elevator paraphenalia: the buttons, the emergency access panel, and the light switch!




Elevators are interesting to work with. They lend themselves to a dramatic depiction of "Entering". Perhaps it's because they open for you; they don't seem as static as regular doors. Another technicality with painting elevators is the different edges have to match up, and the inside of the door has to be thought of. IE the parts, edges mainly, you see as you step OUT of the elevator. The ''Rude Mechanicals''. Almost literally.

This elevator lobby also has a side door.
The door will have the edge of a dock along the bottom, and a pelican sitting on a post stretching or looking up, or something. It will disguise the door handle.
Check back soon to see how this beach mural evolves!

Silver Mirror

I painted this mirror frame last week, but didn't get very good photos of it during the process, so let's just cut to the chase, and show the final touch: applying the silver leaf.
The background on the frame is painted in shades of metallic silver, and the leaves and flowers , being non metallic, stand out sharply. It is a nice effect.














Silver leaf in very, very thin sheets is applied to a sticky surface, sometimes I use the traditional terracotta ground, which seems to add to the depth and brilliance of the leaf.
After it has set a while, the excess leaf is gently brushed away, with a soft brush. Too much brushing or too harsh a brush can scratch the silver, even right through.

I used many coats of solvent based varnish to give all the silver

an amber tint, and it makes the whole piece look aged and mysterious.

Delightful.

Cloud Treatment

Here is a good example of "Cloud Treatment" meaning that the clouds are a subtle effect, delicate and applied as a background, rather than a mural. They are less specific than one usually finds in my murals.

This technique provides for a soft airy accent wall, less demanding

than a full mural. Art can be hung on such a wall.

This wall makes you feel airborne.

Chinese Cloud Border

This dining room border is in the same home as the previous post's kitchen border.
The Chinese motif is in keeping with the oriental furnishings and decor .The ceiling light , with its alabaster shades, is on a dimmer switch, so when the lights are dimmed, the clouds look very mysterious and luminous. The whole thing is painted with metallic paints. A beautiful and exotic effect.

Tray Ceiling in Kitchen

Here is quite a change of pace!









After several projects based on realistic depiction of the natural world, here I have a purely geometric design project, with lots of beautiful metallic paints to work with.

These metallic surfaces are always so hard to photograph!
But the pictures here show quite well how gorgeous the ceiling and border turned out.