Blog - Page 2 of 13 - Leichsenring Studios

Sometimes Less is More

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 01, 2020· in Brick White Wash, Fireplace, Murals, Scrollwork·

As wonderful as it is to have a glorious, detailed mural on the work docket, there are many occasions where the solution is the more direct and simple. When done correctly, it is elegant. Being a decorative painter, there are just so many paint paths besides mural painting. Two such occasions presented themselves recently. In the first, interior designer Dyane Pjura ( Shadee Lady Interior Design and Custom Window treatments in Shelton) wanted to discuss her vision for a new look for her client’s foyer. She showed me the carpet sample that would be used as the runner on the stairs. She said: “I see scrolls. Big scrolls”. “Ok”, I replied. “Just how big?”. Pencil to paper shows the results. The largest scroll is almost 8 ½’ in diameter. The design was streamlined, one color only so the graphic had to carry the entire focus. No shadows to distract. Just scrolls. Big, glorious scrolls. Take a look. I could look at these for a long, long time. The second occasion had a completely different set of requirements. Though there is no average or typical client, when your client is an interior designer, you are looking at a project through an […]
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Looking Back at Looking Up

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 01, 2020· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Clouds, Commercial Space, Floral, Fretwork, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf, Lettering, Mica, Murals, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

OK, I’m not proud to admit it but there is a really bad outcome when two of my personality traits collide. I easily admit to being a bit technically challenged. Less easy to admit is that when there is a task at hand that I really don’t want to do, especially something requiring computer skills, I dig my heels in and become a first class procrastinator. And now I’m dealing with the fallout. I had to get rid of my beloved laptop because I kept accumulating photos way past the point of storage capacity. So I have a new laptop with tons more storage and I’m creating clutter and chaos. No way to avoid it. I’ve been cleaning up my mess. There was a silver lining. While sorting through hundreds ( OK, thousands) of old photos, I came across ceiling projects that for the most part, I don’t think I’ve ever posted. There might be a few that have showed up on my Instagram feed, but the fun was the older projects, done before I started this newsletter. And forgive the quality of a few of the older photographs. Just saying. I didn’t have an Iphone 11 back in the […]
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My New Favorite Bathroom

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 01, 2020· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Mica, Textured Finishes·

Can I have a favorite project? And without sounding shallow, can I have more than one? Hmmm…if I were being honest, my favorite projects generally have one thing in common. They involve murals, whether it be on one focal wall or be still my heart, when the chance comes to envelope the entire room. That being said, my newest project has no mural. But what it does have is the most exciting combination of a super color palette and textures. I’m a green person. When I first saw the vanity and granite countertop my client had chosen, it was love at first sight! The vibrant jungle colors caught in the Rainforest granite paired with the richness of the reclaimed wood of the vanity. The hammered copper sinks were perfect. Here’s a closeup of the granite. I was delighted to go with my client to choose the rest of the tile for the shower and floor. Even more so that she trusted my instinct for a dark green ceiling color. The feeling of a jungle canopy, but clean and contemporary. The walls needed a texture to hold up their end of the balance. It’s a simple finish, proof that in some […]
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Sakura Sakura

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 03, 2020· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Chinoisierie, Floral, Murals, Trees, Video·

Sakura, sakura… My client played the music of this traditional Japanese folksong while I was painting. It means cherry blossoms. And touches on the deeper meaning of why the cherry blossom is such a revered symbol. They last but such a short time, paying homage to the fleetingness of life. And so, such a delicate balance, this task. Using such a powerful motif as one of the major elements of this mural. Add in the iconic Mount Fuji and figure this puzzle out in a contemporary home. The serenity of the architecture embraces you as soon as you see and appreciate the design. Dark wood is balanced by huge banks of windows that deftly bring the simply elegant landscaping into the home. My task, to design a mural for this long triangular wall in the kitchen. It’s approximately 18′ by 45″. I find it comfortable for my clients to see my ideas drawn on pictures that have the entire room in them so they are not looking at a drawing in isolation but rather seeing it in relationship and scale to the room. From the start, I saw the backdrop of pine trees that I could see from almost every […]
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A Tree Grows For Ryan

by Sharon Leichsenring· July 01, 2020· in Artwork, Events, Gifts, Lettering, Trees·

Earlier this year, my son made a seemingly simple request. He asked if I could put a family tree together for him, as a birthday gift. I agreed, thinking, how much work could it be. I’d find the time to do this. His birthday was months away. I’d fit the work in to my regular schedule. And then, schedules and life as we knew it changed with the pandemic. Time was the one commodity I found I had more than I’d ever dreamed or wanted. So, it was time to tackle this project. What cast this simple task into a whole new world of “what was I thinking of when I said sure, no problem”? The little clarification Ryan had requested. Not just parents and ascending grandparents. Could it include siblings and their off spring from the generation of his and his wife Annie’s grandparents? This tree rapidly escalated. Just getting the information was a challenge unto itself. Special thanks here to my daughter-in-law’s parents, Nancy and Tom Trevethick who provided me with excel formatted spread sheets. What a surprise to find the documentation extends back to John and Priscilla Adams who settled at Plymouth Colony after crossing the Atlantic […]
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My Garage Doors Have Murals

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 01, 2020· in Artwork, Birds, Floral, Murals, Trees, Video·

This is a project that has been back-burnered for years. I’d contemplated painting murals on my garage doors for several years but every time I thought about actually beginning the work, I’d rethink the entire situation. Would I really want to start something that would take me months, squeezing it in on weekends and being at the mercy of the weather? That start and stop approach would probably suck the joy out of this. Would my neighbors really want to wait who knows how long for me to get this done? And then Covid 19 arrived and life changed for all of us. If I could sew, I’d have been making masks, but I don’t. I needed to keep finding projects that would keep me focused. And did I have a beauty sitting in my pocket! No excuses to prevent me painting my murals. I had a new job. Here are the sketches I started with. And I should show you my canvas. I started the first one by sketching it in charcoal. Remembering that I was now dealing with outside weather, I went over the charcoal with a thin outline of paint. I had made myself an outside coloring […]
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When One Door Closes…

by Sharon Leichsenring· May 01, 2020· in Artwork, Floral, Murals, Trees, Trompe L'oeil·

Week 6, maybe 7 of stay at home because of the virus. It has been truly a time of doors closed to us. It’s been difficult for all of us, reduced to telephone and facetime conversations. My granddaughters have been especially on my mind. So when I got the idea to use a door to absorb my energy (and no, not by slamming it a few dozen times, tempting as that might have been), I couldn’t undo the thought. I picked a door that is part of the core space of our open kitchen and dining area. I’d paint this door to fill that void in my heart. While deliberating which photo I’d use, top choice became an older picture that captured my two older granddaughters perfectly. It’s three years old now. Harper was just a few months shy of her fourth birthday, Darcy was two years and three months. I loved their sturdy little legs and Harper’s protective arms around Darcy’s shoulders. My son Ryan had caught this perfect moment. In fact, I liked this photo so much, I’d painted it once already on a 3′ x 3′ canvas for their bedroom a few years ago. But this would […]
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The Second Time Around

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 01, 2020· in Artwork, Closet, Floral, Video·

There are times when my head just hurts…so many ideas and no time to get something selfishly done, for myself, for just the joy of painting it. Enter corona virus. The world as we knew it has changed. Each of us looks for a way to preserve our sanity. For me, I find solace where I always do, in painting. This time, I could use this time to indulge in painting something that had been floating around in my mind. Months ago, I sketched three options for a bedroom focal wall mural. I loved the one my client chose. It was perfect for her space. But one of the ones she didn’t pick? I fell in love with its possibilities. I knew a place for it. I could see it done in my mind’s eye, but when would I steal the time… Heads up on the closet doors in my bedroom. It’s one room where I just had played it safe, neutral. Beigey. So vanilla. One day, there would be time to bring this room alive, and now, here was the time. Warning to the husband. I’m painting the closet doors. Don’t ask what, just trust me. Perfect answer from […]
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A Toy Chest for Caroline

by Sharon Leichsenring· March 02, 2020· in Artwork, Childrens, Clouds, Fretwork, Furniture, Gifts, Lettering, Video·

Let me say this: Soon to be one-year- old Caroline is a lucky little girl! The first grandchild of my client (her grandfather) will be receiving this painted toy chest, beautifully built by her grandfather, for her birthday. I met my client almost eight years ago while on a job site. I was there painting a ceiling dome; he was there doing his master carpentry magic. We’ve stayed in touch via this very newsletter you’re reading now. We started the conversation about this project with a few sketches. The requests included her name and perhaps fairies? Done. You had me at fairies. And an opportunity to create my own. Here is the beginning work. A little more refinement, and a few more fairies later, we arrived at scaled drawings approved. The chest was delivered, primed and basecoated. I just about forgot to take a picture before I started but remembered enough to catch this. I must admit, I am at my most absolute best (forgive me if that grammar is incorrect here) when I can immerse myself in the studio with such a project. To create a magical world for this little person with my own characters and as much […]
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It’s a Dog’s Life

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 03, 2020· in Bathrooms/Powder Room, Dogs, Furniture, Headboards, Murals, Stairwell, Trompe L'oeil·

I’ve been asked before do I have a signature style. The answer must be no, because surely all my clients would not be so alike as to want the same style. But what I realized, there is something that I add to a mural whenever the opportunity presents itself. A dog. Yep! I love them, and love when their owners want to make them part of a mural. Sometimes, it’s simply a mural all about dogs. Like this one in Grapeland, TX which was a combined portrait of three generations of labs. Brandi, Cooper and Hank, sunning themselves on the dock. I found it best to have plenty of snacks in my pocket as the dogs checked out my progress. On the other hand, the dog might become the focus of the mural. In this example, I was painting a headboard directly on the wall because painting it made it possible to match the existing furniture. What was the best part of this project was painting the owner’s beloved Bella to be with her always. This wine cellar mural has the vineyard as a background for this make a statement portrait of the owner’s dog. Dogs become such an important part […]
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