Artwork Archives - Leichsenring Studios

Sail With the Vikings

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 31, 2021· in Artwork, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Historic, Murals, Ocean, Trompe L'oeil, Video·

I can’t say it enough. The opportunity to create a mural in a powder room makes my heart smile. It’s a chance to create a contained world in a very small space. In this case, the powder room is a scant 61” square but my painting area was 85 square feet. My heart is more than smiling here, it’s doing jumping jacks! My client, a woman of extraordinary vision is requesting pure, undiluted magic. Bring a Viking village to life! Challenge on. Here are the first two proposals. Did I forget to mention the magnificent mirror driving this concept? A carved dragon wrapped around the mirror. More about this mirror later. Suffice it to say, the dragon carvings will appear on the ships, on the long houses and on the high seat in the mural. Also, it is paired with draw dropping dragon sconces. Here is the final approved drawing. I’ll show you photos of the entire mural, but let’s just set the mood with this video. Here are the four walls. I’ve included the wall with the mirror before the mirror was hung so you can see it without the sconces and mirror. The high seat was added at […]
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My best friend’s kitchen the second time around

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 01, 2021· in Artwork, Kitchen·

It was the perfect solution, this backsplash I painted for my best friend almost ten years ago. Just perfect, well, until it wasn’t. As much as we love something, it works in the moment, it reflects our taste at the time until it all changes. Quick trip down memory lane, here’s a shot of the “ best backsplash in the world” It’s whimsical, loose, colorful and if you want to know more about it, check out the post at www.Leichsenringstudios.com/my-best-friends-kitchen/ But I digress. It was going to be a major change in the kitchen. The cabinetry was going to be repainted, a subtle off-white color. So before I fill you on my contribution, let me show what’s involved in what is arguably the best painted cabinet work I’ve seen. Huge shoutout to Brennen Zaborowski at www.classicrefinishers.com (203-731-0838). The prep work and taping was meticulous. These cabinets are forty years old, in excellent shape. The finish is layers and layers of rock hard lacquer. Here’s the kitchen taped and contained, ready to be sprayed. The frames were sprayed on site, the doors and drawer fronts on his shop. Now take a look at what the surfaces look like when finished. […]
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My Home Away From Home In Texas

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 01, 2021· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Ceiling, Columns, Dogs, Floral, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf, Lettering, Murals, Trompe L'oeil·

There are times as I think about the subject for my next newsletter, that I remember, I’ve been doing them every month for thirteen years. Blatantly directing you here, almost all of them are on my website, under the tab “Projects”. What’s not so apparent is my connection with Texas. The late nineties saw my goodbye to my career as Sharon the Sign painter. It was not quick, or painless. One doesn’t sell a sign painting business. It is a matter of walking away, or moving on. For me, it was to the world of decorative painting, mostly murals in my case, but also some really satisfying work with plaster and glaze. I spent a three year period in both worlds until the Studios’ demand for murals was in position to shut down the sign painting. In weeks that I typically worked at least 60 hours making that change, I also needed to go back and take classes to fine tune my skills. Trompe l’oeil classes for starters in New York with the legendary Pierre Finkelstein, and then on to San Antonio at the atelier of the esteemed Nicola Vigini. My quiet little plans were pretty much dashed to the gutter […]
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What’s with the trees?

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 01, 2021· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Ceiling, Childrens, Headboards, Historic, Staircase, Trees, Tropical·

I’m working on a mural design right now. It’s a tricky one, more of a puzzle at this stage. I’ve got to weave in my clients’ favorite Central Park NYC locations, and in a very natural way, add in the Eiffel Tower and a pair of European landmarks that have a great deal of importance. I’ll be sharing more about it when I start painting, but that won’t be happening til spring of next year. But. Right.Now. This is the most challenging part, to make the transitions from vista to vista feel effortless. Not contrived at all. My magic elixir, add trees. In this case it will be winter branches, heaped with snow. I know it will work, as I’ve used trees before for just this solution. Trees, actually, (besides clouds or maybe scrolls, but we’re not talking about that right now) might be my favorite thing to paint. Pictures say it better. So, this mural which is in a private residence in Branford, CT, portrays many historical vistas of the now bygone Branford Driving Park, first used for horse races, then automobile in the early 1900s. Check out just how elegantly the trees frame each vignette and bring your […]
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Paint is the best medicine

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 02, 2021· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Budget Conscious, Lettering, Murals, Scrollwork, Video·

I’ve told you all, dear readers, that I am beyond fortunate to have found the field in which I work. Very seldom are my days not creative and filled with challenges that stretch me as an artist. And then along my path comes this hallway! It’s well appointed with molding, easy on the eye colors and flooring. But it’s a residence. And it’s boring, though my clients are anything but. So what to do? It’s not really a place for a mural, it’s a walk through. The answer had to be contemporary, colorful and could we add fun?? Oh yeah, indeed we could. It’s times when I know I going to go quite a way out of the box that I like to make a 3D model to show my client the design. And I might add, I just love making them. Here’s the finished model in actual color and scale. At home in the studio, I started the makeover for the mirror. Sharing a little trick here with any DIYers out there. Using playing cards is a great way to protect from paint getting either on the mirror or under the edge of the mirror, where it shows. The trick […]
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I’m Seeing Red and I’m Loving It!

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 01, 2021· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Ceiling, Dining Room, Furniture, Mica·

I say I always start at the beginning of the project, for over ten years of monthly newsletters. But I just can’t do it with this one. I’ve just got to show what I’m so over the moon about. Look at those red walls! And those swirls of bright gold! Makes you want to lift up your arms and twirl. And just smile. So now, lets get back to the beginning. Early autumn, 2019 (yes, pre-Covid times for sure.) I was brought to the project by Dyane Prezioso of Prezioso Interiors. We both share a love for color and drama and this room was going to be the ultimate place to indulge with that love. The project had several parts: the walls, the ceiling and a 100 year old buffet just crying for a new life. As we saw the room in the beginning, it sported a dated old world red glazed finish. The most accurate description would be tomato soup red. The white molding and ceiling did little to help matters. Dyane chose the perfect red. The picture doesn’t do it justice. A little background about why this color is so special. This is Benjamin Moore’s CSP-1200 Burst Cherry. […]
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Setting a new table

by Sharon Leichsenring· January 01, 2021· in Artwork, Budget Conscious, Furniture·

If ever there were a year that needs a new look, it’s surely 2021. The inspiration for this table makeover started from designer Dyane Prezioso in the diamond shapes in one of my favorite Cappiello vintage posters for Isolabello. She saw harlequins and that initiated the design. As soon as I started some rough sketches, I saw that the hard diamond edges needed some softening and if adding some type of a scroll is an option, I’m in my happy place. The table was sanded, primed and painted in great gray color from Benjamin Moore. The paint is a satin finish from their Advance cabinetry paint, a perfect choice for tables and chairs. Here’s a closeup of a detail, and then the full tablet top. The large diamonds were stried in several shades of gray and a creamy white. The scrolls added a perfect balance of whimsy and movement. Dyane’s fabric choice for the chair seats is spot on. Take a look at how perfectly the monotone palette of the table serves as such a great backdrop for the creativity of my client. Hard to believe it’s the same table. Paint, one of my arsenal of tools in making 2021 […]
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A Crib for Greta’s Dollies

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 08, 2020· in Artwork, Birds, Childrens, Furniture·

I got a call recently from my cousin Nancy. She was going through her attic and basement, and making those decisions that people like me (a wee bit of a hoarder) can never do. A few things she had that just weren’t staying in her house, but perhaps I’d be interested. The doll’s crib caught my eye immediately. The two square panels on either end screamed Illustration! Of course I couldn’t pass it by. I neglected to take a photo in the before state. We calculated it was about ninety years old. Her mother’s father had made it for her mother. It was in great shape, but chipped and painted a sad faded beige. Some sanding and a new coat of paint and I was ready to go. Fabric choices for the new bedding provided my palette. I’m old-fashioned. I enjoy sewing by hand. The nubby fleece provided extra texture. Here’s the new bedding. I knew almost instantly what I would be painting. This piece is a Christmas present for my youngest granddaughter, Greta. Unlike her two older sisters, at twenty months, she is hardly ever to be seen without one of her dollies. Holding one, or pushing it in […]
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Thanksgiving 2020 – Wall Worthy Words

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 22, 2020· in Artwork, Gifts, Lettering, Scrollwork·

Pick a word. Any word Ok, pick a dozen, maybe two. Give them to Sharon, and… Wait a minute, let me back up a moment to the beginning of the story. I was working with a client that was trying to find a way to have a design that showed all the words that were important to her and her family. She told me she also had a photograph she maybe wanted to use. (secretly, this is when I panic cringe. What if it is a picture that is boring or badly taken? How can I avoid hurting someone’s feelings?). However, I was more than pleasantly surprised when she showed me the picture. It was a candid black and white that captured her and her husband while on a cruise vacation. It was just perfect, but too small and we had no negative. I’d had a lot of success enlarging photos of photos I had taken. Steady hand, I snapped a photo, used the filter Warm dramatic and suddenly, the black and white came to life, not exactly sepia, but warm, dark grays and beige tones that were perfect for the room. I envisioned a simple frame with a scroll […]
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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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