Artwork Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Leichsenring Studios

The Paint Whisperer

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 05, 2017· in Artwork, Horses, Murals·

This project needs so many words to describe it. It was an honor being able to share in the magic of my client’s horses. It was far more difficult painting horse portraits than people because I had to try to understand a whole different way to visualize personalities. It was also a pleasure working on this huge canvas which measures 6′ by 9′ in my own studio. My husband would come in with a cup of coffee and say “the horse whisperer at work”. But horse whisperer I am not, but hopefully, a paint whisperer, yes I am. My client, the extraordinary Wendy J, offered me entrance to a very spiritual and grounding place with this commission. There are a total of seven horses in the composition, the smallest shown being a family favorite who has truly, no pun intended, crossed to greener pastures. It was so much more than just drawing them and getting their coloring down right. It was understanding their personalities and how they feel about each other that brought this to an entirely different level. Here is the original pencil drawing. From left to right, meet Moon and Esse . Moon is only a […]
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Coffered Ceilings on Property Brothers job

Thankful for the Side Dishes

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 17, 2015· in Artwork, Brick White Wash, Ceiling, Fireplace, Kitchen, Lettering, Signs·

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and once I got this title in my head, I couldn’t let the metaphor go. Certainly it is the turkey that is the centerpiece of the traditional celebration, but it is those side dishes that add the flavors and creativity. And so it is with my own portfolio. Yes, mural painting is the foundation of my work, but this month was a perfect example of those “side dishes” that don’t come around all that often, but when they do, what a treat! The first project was a brick wall in a red palette that was just completely unacceptable for the marvelous kitchen renovation. My client thought a simple whitewashing would tone the color down. I have her permission to show you her thought to see how it might look. It was ingenious. She used chalk, and literally colored the bricks to check out the effect. Not good. The result was dirty pink and coral tones. Below is the sample I created once the background had been painted. And here’s how lovely it looked when completed. Very believable and custom matched to her granite, flooring and cabinetry. I’ve also been doing quite a few canvas commissions. […]
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Trees For All Seasons

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 04, 2015· in Artwork, Gifts, Staircase, Stairwell, Trees·

I just completed this project for one of my favorite clients. We have from an artist’s perspective, the perfect relationship. She’s very visual and we approach each scenario as a team. I love her input. Her home has a charming walkway to the front door, terraces of rounded brick steps. It’s beautiful for guests. However, family members generally come into the house from the garage and enter climbing up a most boring staircase. Climbing the stairs may be good aerobically but the view! It can’t get more boring than this. If one could see through the back door’s window to the right, one would be rewarded with a gorgeous sylvan vista. So a solution was born. A canvas of a good size (30″ by 40″) depicting the missing view. The transom window mimics those found in the home. I drew this sketch and we were on our way. I had to shift the perspective a little and drew it as it would be seen from a “worm’s eye’s view”, the opposite from looking downward like in a bird’s eye’s view. It may not be something the viewer is aware of, but it trick’s the mind to accepting it as more […]
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A Tale of Two Projects

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 06, 2015· in Artwork, Floor, Gifts, Powder Room·

One of the best parts of my schedule is the wide scope of work that comes my way. Here are two projects that illustrate my point. The first is an elegant and sophisticated powder room. My part in it was quite small, a painted floor cloth. The cloth, a mere 27″ x 3″, was the perfect solution for the space. More importantly, it provided a vehicle to tie the palette of the room together. Here’s a picture of the cloth, the wallpaper and the fabric trims for the window treatment. Kudos to Linda Brencher Interiors of Branford for t the design found in this lovely powder room. The Anna French wallpaper in a light apple green sets the perfect crispness for every detail. Take a look at the floor cloth. This powder room is a busy place, so the protective topcoat will keep it looking like new for years. Here’s the finished project. The nightstand refitted as a vanity base with a new marble top and vessel sink is brilliant. The second project called for an entirely different direction. My client commissioned me to create a 24″ by 36″ painted canvas as a birthday gift for her husband. The […]
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Into the Woods… Yet Again

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 06, 2015· in Artwork, Columns, Commercial Space, Murals, Trees·

Few projects have touched a special place in my heart as the ongoing “Woods” painting at Fairfield Woods Middle School. Here is what things looked like when I saw the newly renovated lobby. My drawing was approved by the PTSA and in spring of 2013 I painted the center column and was invited back last year to paint the adjacent wall. It left the opposite wall looking quite needy and this spring, I came back to complete the matching wall. This is what the proposal looked like. This is what the lobby looks like today. What makes this project so remarkable is that in the two years since I started, there is not a mark on any of the work. No chips, no scratches and indeed, no graffiti. I deliberately do the work during school hours as I love the energy the feedback from the kids gives to me. Principal Dr. Rosato is always at the helm when at dismissal, some 925 students flood through that hallway, past me painting on my ladder. It is an awesome rush! On a serious note, though the graphic elements of trees is obvious in a school called for generations “The Woods”, I know […]
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Under the Weeping Cherry Tree

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 07, 2014· in Artwork, Kitchen, Murals, Stairwell, Trompe L'oeil·

Sometimes the simple answer is the perfect answer. My client in this elegant Fairfield, Connecticut home had a section of wall that just glared, needing an solution that wouldn’t look too contrived. The wall was formed when the 12′ height of the kitchen dropped back to 8′ in the foyer and hallway. Here’s the kitchen before I started. Hanging a large painting just felt awkward. Thank you again for the always imaginative ( and superb) painter, Dino Tetu, who was on the job and suggested that I might be the solution. A discussion with the homeowner led to the direction of a painted window for the space. I noted that there were several window transoms in the home and thought the added architectural interest would look better than a big picture window. So, what to paint, what to paint? We discussed vistas that had appeal to the family (beaches were high on the list) but again, not feeling natural. As I walked through the first floor of the home, I was struck by the lovely trees I could see from every room and Voila! There is was. The painted window would just be another opportunity to view the outdoors. Here’s […]
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Sharon’s Medicine For Cabin Fever

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 02, 2014· in Artwork, Bas Relief, Budget Conscious, Headboards, Kitchen·

It’s still January and I’m taking advantage of the snowstorm that has cancelled work for the next few days. But being trapped inside can give you a bit of cabin fever. Are there some areas in your ‘cabin’ that are simply making you crazy. It’s a boring area, perhaps, or it just needs that little something but you can’t put your finger on it. And in the back of your head you’re thinking I probably can’t afford it. So here are a few solutions, with their costs. This project was a small add-on. I was already working in another room of the house. The bathroom was having some beautifully designed tile installed, making the plain white vanity suffer in comparison. Here, I painted a simple motif derived from the tile design onto the two cabinet doors. Cost: $225. Visual value? A home run. This second example is a headboard painted directly on the wall. Not only does it do what it needed to do-supply the missing furniture-but it’s fun to boot. Cost $600. What a great way to get a custom bedroom that exactly fits the space and personality of room. I also find myself […]
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Small Budgets…Big Results

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 05, 2013· in Artwork·

I realized I was having the same conversation with three different clients this past month. Hellloooo! Yes, I was listening to the universe trying to send me a message. The comment that came up was almost verbatim each time. “I went to your website. I love your work! I thought you might not be interested in my project because it was too small.” While I’m working on making the answer clear on my website, let me state it as clearly as this. Yes, there are a lot of photos on my website that are big and bold. They were intensive projects. And they found their way to my website because they just photograph so well. I was always concerned that small and subtle might not get your attention. So, I’m using this month’s newsletter to show you four such projects that illustrate skills you may not even know I have. First up, a collage of born and bred in Texas cowboy images was painted on this guitar. Musically, its days are long gone, but it is now part of this warm and inviting guest bedroom at The Whispering Pines in Grapeland Texas. Here it is in it’s […]
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Birds and Blossoms… Some of my favorite things

by Sharon Leichsenring· March 10, 2013· in Artwork, Bas Relief, Birds, Floral, Gifts, Murals, Trees·

Both of these kitchen wall solutions started the same way, with a discussion. Both clients were looking for “something” for the wall, but had absolutely no idea of what that something could be. Sitting in kitchen number one, our talk began. We talked about the interests of each member of the family. We took a walk through the home, and two things became apparent. The window treatments were minimal because everyone loved the view the yard afforded. It was full of trees, nested, as it were, in their very own forest. In almost all the artwork and accessories I saw, there were more trees, branches, leaves…you name it, more trees. So trees it would be. But a little stylized, and make sure I included a special interest in barred owls. The palette needed to be a subtle mix of blue greens, grays and warm browns. Here are two pictures to give you an idea of the results. Here is a close up of the barred owl. The second kitchen wall started with almost an identical discussion. The colors had to be soft; the design, appealing, but comfortable. It’s a small kitchen, and the owner spends a great deal of time […]
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Playing with color

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 10, 2013· in Artwork, Ceiling, Childrens, Floral, Gifts·

Some months when I have to choose what projects to talk about, it’s these little ones that get left undiscovered; small in scope but adding so much to the outcome of the room. This first example started in my head as a simple silhouette of the child with some nice areas of color, taken from the fabrics in the room. However, it seemed as though it demanded a little dimension and the silhouette became a duotone, with the fun twist of the vibrant palette. Got to love that vibrant cobalt blue on a lemon yellow field! The young man is just about life size on this 30″x40″ canvas and to my pleasure, recognized himself immediately. Here is the canvas hung on the wall in his new room. This second example is much more subtle in its approach. Originally this master bedroom had been treated to a soft ochre/yellow sponge treatment by its owner. The tray ceiling which has so much area in the room had been simply painted ceiling white. My part in this project was first to establish a palette, which was derived from the bedding. The tray was then painted in several shades of the chosen blue; the […]
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