Blog - Page 5 of 14 - Leichsenring Studios

Love Letters to Lusterstone

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 03, 2019· in Artisan Finish, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Ceiling, Property Brothers, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

My love affair with LusterStone plaster started in the early 2000s. I had left my first career as a commercial sign painter behind and was starting to be comfortable defining myself as a decorative artist. I wasn’t ready to lead with the word muralist yet at that point. So, some glazing and stenciling, ornament detailing. Sure. Small murals to get my feet wet. But I never considered myself a plasterer. A superbly rebuilt right thumb shied away from heavy plasters. A definite No! to the tedious labor of burnishing Venetian plaster. And then came the phone call from Janie Ellis, friend and mentor, founder of Anything But Plain in Houston. “I’ve got this new stuff you absolutely have to try. And I’m sending some to you.” To know Janie is to know that ” uh, I don’t think so” is not going to be a possibility for an answer. So my containers came, and it was love at first sight. LusterStone, a product of Faux Effects International, is a luscious, creamy plaster infused with mica that produces a shimmer when troweled smoothly. In its early days there was a more limited palette but now it sports fifty color choices. I […]
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Painting Dogwood Blossoms

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 01, 2019· in Artwork, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Floral, Murals, Video·

Some designs for powder rooms come together so easily, it’s as if they almost paint themselves. From the word go, I could just about see this finished in my mind. My client and her designer had seen a powder room I did a few years back with oversized magnolias. A few variations, this powder room would feature dogwood blossoms and only the f ocal wall would be dark. I met with my client and her designer, Lea Shulman (read about her and her method, “In my work, my goal is to bring fun, lightness, and ease to the design process”. She does just that, perfectly. You’ll find her at www.leashulmaninteriors.com. What started as a “pretty powder room”, neutral beige walls with a branch painted with blossoms and leaves, quickly escalated to high sophistication with my client’s vision to get the drama my black and white photos inspired, and then pull in a hint of color from the surrounding walls with a punch of one of my favorites shades of blue-green. Oh my. First I sketched several options for blossoms, branches and leaves. Next, I painted a color sample of a leaf, a piece of blossom, with the wall colors and […]
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I swear the walls are growing at night

by Sharon Leichsenring· July 01, 2019· in Artwork, Commercial Space, Murals·

When I received the first inquiry about painting a mural at the soon to be opened Seaquest at the Trumbull Shopping Park, I must admit, I was intrigued. For two reasons: The size (the wall measured just under 200 feet in length and was 15 tall) and the location (a chance to work in my hometown of Trumbull). I took a ride to see it, and literally, driving into the parking lot with the wall looming in front of me, my heart just got stuck. Was I crazy for even considering this? “Oh no, not you” hollered that distinctly crazy side of my brain. “You’re not afraid of anything”. I walked up to touch possibly the worst surface I’d ever been asked to paint. “Be afraid.” Said that grounded, sane part of my brain. “Be very afraid and walk away.” I considered that option for a few moments and then crazy kicked in. “I can do this.” I resolved, but not alone. I turned to fellow Trumbull resident Dino Tetu, owner of Paint Smart, a full- service painting company. (learn more about Dino at www.Paintsmartnow.com). We have worked together over the past two decades. We’ve recommended each other and worked […]
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Painting Furniture 101, the rules

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 03, 2019· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Fretwork, Furniture, Headboards, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

From where I sit, there is only one rule to painting furniture: have fun with it. Believe in the power of color, indulge in your whimsical nature and do not be afraid to desecrate a “real” wood finish. First case in point, my own dream project. This idea had been living in my “have to get this done someday ” part of my mind for such a long time. I could almost see it finished, but I admit, I was intimidated by the time I was going to have to put into this cabinet. I’d envisioned my own interpretation of a MacKenzie Childs creation, filled with patterns, stripes and detail. Did I say detail? The plan kept getting more involved. The starting point-two innocent resin bumblebees, given to me by my cousin Nancy as a thank you for helping her on a fireplace redo. Actually, she gave me four, so I still have another project calling me. But I digress. The bees in turn, called for a bee and thistle motif. I couldn’t find a scroll pattern I liked, so I designed my own. Recently, the designers at MacKenzie Childs have added other color palettes, particularly to their black and […]
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Calling All Colors

by Sharon Leichsenring· May 01, 2019· in Artwork, Budget Conscious, Childrens, Murals, Trees·

A call from Ridgefield, CT designer Eileen Segalman (whose wonderful work can be seen at www.eileensegalmaninteriors.com) always means something exciting is heading in my direction. This recent project was no exception. We visited the office of Pediatric Associates of Western Connecticut in Danbury, CT. I was taken at once by the vitality of the front welcome desk area. Architecturally crafted trees with dimensional canopies promised a happy visit to this practice. I was impressed by the staff, the physical surroundings and most importantly, the warm and at the same time, professional atmosphere. On to site one. The waiting room had one of the wonderful trees already in place, a welcoming fish tank and vinyl animal graphics on two of the walls. What is was missing was a big shot of color. (OK, I promise no more poor puns.) Here is the waiting room before, and a view of the existing decals. My task, to finish the third wall in a manner that complimented the existing artwork but at the time to add vibrancy. Here is my sketch. I painted the new animals as silhouettes and kept the other elements as solid blocks of color. Mission accomplished. Here’s the new wall. […]
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A Tale of Two Commissions

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 01, 2019· in Artwork, Birds, Closet, Gifts, Ocean, Trees·

Sometimes, it’s truly a pleasure to take a break from flinging paint and plaster at walls and sit down before a canvas on my easel. I recently had two such projects. My first commission went as smoothly as any artist could wish. My client has a vacation home on Long Beach Island and was looking for large canvas pieces. After discussing the size of the walls, we settled for gallery wrapped canvases, measuring 30′ by 40″. I would paint the edges, eliminating the need to frame them. What to paint? After reviewing literally hundreds of photos, the choices narrowed down to a particular stretch of beach and another view of the bay area. The dunes were easy to find reference pictures, but the advantage of having an artist design the scene is that it can easily encompass all the particulars that were important to my client. No one photograph could do that. These clouds, these waves, this angle of the bay where small ponds caught the reflecting blue in the sky. Add a slight touch of impressionistic painting, and voila! We have arrived. Here are the two paintings, still at home in my studio. It was really hard parting with […]
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A Sign of The Times

by Sharon Leichsenring· March 01, 2019· in Signs, Trompe L'oeil·

This project started with a call from the talented Matthew Willinger of Doyle Herman Design Associates of Greenwich. A senior landscape designer with the firm, Matthew had need of my services for a project he has been involved with for a decade. He didn’t know, but he had me at “there’s a trompe l’oeil chicken involved”. How could I not say yes? The property had a sign that had seen its better days years ago. I couldn’t estimate how many years old it might have been, but what was clear that it was well beyond the point or repair. This allowed for an opportunity to fine tune the design and come up with a panel that would echo the elegant streamlined architecture of the home. A few alterations to copy let me add the address to make it easier for guests to find and I was on my way. The new sign was made of medium density overlay exterior wood. All the molding and raw edges were sealed with West system two part epoxy. The molding, simple squared steps mimics the residence. The background color for the sign and the post also matches the home. And then it was time […]
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Mural Painting Secrets for Success by Gary Lord

Standing The Test of Time

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 01, 2019· in Artwork, Historic, Murals·

This month was filled with nothing but loose ends; installations not complete, finished photos still on my dream list. So instead I’d thought I’d share one of my pivotal murals, important to my career for so many reasons and dating back over 15 years, so never included in a newsletter. The mural in progress and completed. Let me tell you a little about the subject. The sepia toned mural was painted from old photos provided by the Morris Historical Society. Morris is a sleepy, charming little town on Bantam Lake in Litchfield county, Connecticut. I poured over the old and crumbling photos and negatives with my client and found enough reference material to recreate this scene in the lakeside home he was building at the time. The building was a roadhouse on water’s edge. Aptly, it was called The Music Box. The cars parked in the lot suggest it was photographed in the early 1930s. The building has changed over the years and now houses a real estate office. So now , with that backstory, with a proper thank you to each party. Starting with my client, whom I will refer to as Mr.D. It’s been a standard of this […]
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Here a robin, there a bluebird

by Sharon Leichsenring· January 01, 2019· in Artwork, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Birds, Budget Conscious, Ceiling, Chinoisierie, Floral, Video·

I keep calling it a lovely powder room,but actually, it is a full bathroom. As the shower area was completely tiled and not part of my project area, it’s remains one of my favorite powder rooms. The why of that is easy; it required no construction and relied simply on paint to get a dramatic transformation and embraced all of the owner’s favorite things. Best of all, it employed a brilliant twist on the part of the designer, Eileen Segalman. Pure genius on her part. To get to know more about her, find her at www.eileensegalmaninteriors.com More about the twist later. This is the powder room I first met. A lot going on, a dated color and nothing to invite you into the space. The first thing Eileen recommended was a new color for the walls. She chose Benjamin Moore’s Quiet Moments. I suggested painting the ceiling the same color. Transformational, giving the room a very spa feel. Never be afraid to paint the ceiling the same color in a small space. It does NOT make the room feel smaller or the ceiling closer. In fact, it does just the opposite and leaves the four walls and ceiling as a […]
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Two sides of texture

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 01, 2018· in Artisan Finish, Budget Conscious, Commercial Space, Furniture, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

Wall finishes have come such a long way since DIY sponge kits. Let’s take a look at two approaches to using texture. Recently, Bella’s Café in New Haven underwent major renovations when the original café was expanded by taking over the newly available space next door. Dramatic warm colors were chosen for the multi-layered plaster finish on the walls. The color started with depth , a mesmerizing merlot, followed by a rich carmine, and finished with a cinnamon hue. The plaster is infused with mica powder. The layers alternate from smooth troweling to lacelike texture. Here’s the wall to check out. The banquettes were covered in a deep oxblood color, which prompted the trim color I chose. The excitement came when I spotted these shutters on a fun hunting trip with Rose, the owner. I was tasked with matching the worn colors on new wood needed to hang the shutters. I took a cue from the shutter colors and instead of flat black on the ceiling, it’s a dark gray with a definite deep blue green cast. Take a breather from these highly charged color choices, and see the ship lapped wall opposite the banquettes has a textured salt […]
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