I don't say this often, friends, but right now, I'm pretty pleased with myself. I might be admitting to a bit of superstition if I told you of my reservations of patting myself on the back, so to speak, but the results of this project were everything I hoped it to be, and more.
First, visualize it...
The room, a master bedroom. It's a round room, about 34' in diameter. The architecture is stunning. Half of the room is huge windows, through which you see the Thimble Islands in Guilford, Connecticut. The ceiling is a sloping dome. The dome opening is 24'. It is 12 ½' in height at its tallest point, 9 ½' at the perimeter. Take a look. The blue tape marks the center.
This was the ceiling when I started. We agreed to keep the soft, blue color already on the ceiling, so the first move was to fill the dome with softly glazed, clouds.
Next came the more challenging placement of the medallion which would frame the mural in the center. The medallion measures 13' in diameter. The design for this needed a sense of boldness without looking too heavy. Here you are looking at the frame being blocked in with one coat of paint.
It came to life when the trompe l'oeil effect of using light and dark began.
I'll only mention this once, in case you're wondering. Yes, it's awkward painting with your neck at this angle, but I truly didn't feel it during the day (my ride home is another story, but it comes with the territory.) The reward is instant gratification in watching the flat surface take on dimension.
Here is the frame finished.
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And now we come to the really fun part. These pictures will show you the mural being blocked in
and the mural completed
I know, these are not the clearest pictures, but trust me, there are much better close-ups. I wanted you to have a perspective of what went where. By week 4, I was beginning not to trust my own eyes. If you look at this picture
you will have to take my word that the horizon line is truly a straight line. The curve you see is the curve of the ceiling.
Here is the Moon Fairy, spilling the gift of water, of life, to the mermaid below.
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Click here to see my moon fairy model's face and see if I caught her expression.
More of the mermaid ,
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A huge and heartfelt thank you to both of my models for their trust and time. You are both as beautiful inside as out.
I am also grateful for the direction of designer Maria Zawadzki. Check out her remarkable work at www.h2zdesign.com.
And most sincerely, I thank my clients. I've come to think of the mural as "The Gift", for its more obvious portrayal. But it's come to mean more than that: it was a gift they gave me. The opportunity to imagine and bring a complicated illustration to life coupled with a chance to push myself to the limits. The end result was something much more than what I had aimed for.
It's magic when it happens.
Call me if you're looking for some.
