I'm not one for lying and trickery, but some weeks, well... it's my job. I finished last week creating a plaster arch surround that looks and feels like brick and mortar, and started this week working on my own courtyard mural, in the trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) style, which I think is coming along nicely. So, I must confess. Yes, Mama, I've been coloring on the walls, and I can't help it if pictures lie!
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| Before: Lorine loved the brick showing through broken plaster, but without an aged finish on the walls, it didn't really have a context. |
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| After: Not only does the full "brick" arch make more sense in her elegant kitchen, it appears to be a continuation of the brick wall outside the window. |
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| Go ahead and touch it! I started with a "mortar" base of primer tinted gray and mixed with silica sand. Then I taped off bricks and troweled on joint compound, tinted brick red. Once dry, I topped it with a clear coat, umber glaze, and black and white paint. Now if I could just get the camera to not flatten out the shadows, grrrrr. |
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| Meanwhile, back at Belle Ami, the living room mural is progressing. The design morphed one more time into a courtyard, which was my perfect compromise between conservatory and back yard pond, neither of which was catching my heartstrings. |
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| Mural in progress: It's starting to look real, though without any plants painted in yet, it does sort of have the depressing feel of a pen at the zoo in winter. Not for long! |
More of my trompe l'oeil work can be seen on my website,
theartofthehome.com.
If you are trying this yourself and have questions, feel free to ask by clicking the comments below, or email me at
dawnmariedelara@gmail.com. If I have an answer, I'll be happy to share.
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