Childrens Archives - Leichsenring Studios

The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 30, 2022· in Artwork, Childrens, Murals, Trompe L'oeil·

It’s been said, “All the other games are sports, but baseball is a love.” You either get it or you don’t. I love baseball, and so does my client. There are actually two murals in this young boy’s bedroom. Today I’d like to share the first project. There was a perfect space to paint a set of lockers, filled with baseball equipment. A perfect space? So says my client, pointing at the wall. All I can see is the paneled door, waiting with traps and crevices. He says, yeah, just paint over it. So that’s the plan. I start working on a sketch. You can see I included the door frame, and it’s obvious from the start I cannot plan to avoid any of the difficult areas, the corners of the raised panels. I will simply force my brush over them. Here’s my sketch. You’ll see a blurry area on the top of the two shirts, here and in further pictures. I’ve blurred the area that shows my clients son’s name, first and middle, to protect his privacy. The sketching goes fairly easily. I’m starting to believe if I squint enough the door will disappear. The blocking in process goes smoothly […]
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Little ballerina putting on her toe shoes

A Tale of Ballerinas

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 01, 2022· in Artwork, Childrens, Murals, Trompe L'oeil·

I literally just finished the topcoat on this mural and it’s truly special. I am so happy to be sharing it with you. The request sounded relatively simple, something ballet themed. Ok, but notice we’re talking the real thing here. Check the picture. There’s a mirror in place, with a ballet barre. The carpet has a section in front of the mirror that can be removed revealing a wood floor was practice. Though the child whom this room belongs to is a little shy of five years old, the request for the design is for something that she will enjoy now and will continue to like as she gets older. Hmmm…not so simple. And a composition that would open the imagination to many stories of the ballet. It did take a little while to get to the final design. I really enjoy this part of the process. It gives me an opportunity to share my client’s dream for this mural. Here they are. And might I add, it got a little more complicated when my clients said include the area with the closet door on the right side of the mirror. Yep, just paint over it like it’s part of […]
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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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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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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 Little Goes A Long Way!

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 01, 2018· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Brick Treatments, Budget Conscious, Ceiling, Childrens, Fireplace, Headboards, Scrollwork, Trompe L'oeil·

One of the biggest misconceptions that people make about decorative painting is that it’s only something for mansions. That artists like myself are only interested in big, lengthy (read expensive) projects in high end properties. I’d like to use this newsletter to illustrate just how wrong that notion is. Many of these are smaller scaled design solutions that took only a day or two to complete. This first example is a simple, glazed finish for this kitchen in Darien, Connecticut. I didn’t want to compete with the gorgeous jaw-dropping countertops, so the glaze served as a perfect transition from the intricate patterning found in the stone. The grey has just a hint of plum that matches the same overtone in the cabinetry. Next, the windows flanking the fireplace in scenic Seymour, CT framed a view too pretty to block with window treatments. Instead, I used the lovely flowered branches and bird motifs found in the sofa fabric to marry the walls to the rest of the room. And when it comes to window treatments, simple panels soar to the next level with the addition of a painted border. Both of these designs were driven from the fabric patterns. The focal […]
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Up, up and away

by Sharon Leichsenring· January 03, 2018· in Childrens, Clouds, Murals·

From the start, my client made it clear that his son, in whose room I’d be painting, was indeed my client. The young man had some very clear directives of what he wanted and my job was to listen and see if I could come up with a design that would include all of them. Here’s the room as we first contemplated where the mural would go. Moving the bed to the adjacent wall freed up the best wall for the mural. It allowed an unencumbered view to the large window and the mural would be completely viewable. My target wall was big. Subtract for moldings, the painted area was 8′ by 17′. The first requirement was a bright blue sky with dramatic clouds and a meadow, Ok, then add add some hot air balloons, vapor trails (I have to admit, that’s where being a twelve year old boy comes into play; I would never have thought of that) and maybe some flowers. Hmmm….remember, I said, that’s a lot of square feet here and meadows, though pretty, are not enough to sustain it. That’s where the hot air balloons became front stage. They gave focus and color, lots of color […]
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Wrapping up 2016

by Sharon Leichsenring· January 02, 2017· in Bathrooms/Powder Room, Childrens, Commercial Space, Floral, Murals, Staircase, Stairwell·

December seemed to absolutely fly by and I am hard pressed to pick just one single project to showcase. So without further ado… I finished the hallway for the mural a Tree Grows in Tarrytown, featured in December’s newsletter. (By the way, the remarkable Pat Marlin of Business Technology Solutions who created my spanking new website, has made it easy if you just want to revisit an older newsletter. They are listed in the tab “Projects” on my homepage at www.LeichsenringStudios.com). Continuing the theme of the staircase part of the mural, using elements of the home’s landscape, the hallway captures the gentle rolling hills in the property’s perimeter. There is a stone cottage that was a caretaker’s residence when the property adjoining was part of one of the former Rockefeller estates. Seems perfectly at home in the Sleepy Hollow attraction of this area. Take a look. I wrapped up a lucky little boy’s nursery. Elegant as always in design by Linda Brencher Interiors of Branford, CT, the sailing theme is educational as well as fun and colorful. So for my darling granddaughters, the perfect wardrobe for dress-up ! As much fun as they will have playing with it, the joy […]
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Surprising Spaces in Unexpected Places

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 03, 2016· in Childrens, Closet, Clouds, Floral, Video·

If I had my choice of my favorite places to paint, the list would probably not include a confined space that brought out my heretofore unknown claustrophobic angst or an outdoor project that put me at the mercy of the elements. This first space was a little nook carved out of the unused space under a curved staircase. My client had found the perfect spot to give her daughter a room to construct a Lego City, and keep it protected from her younger brother. Here’s the space waiting for me. The first request was easy. The room would be painted blue. I’d add clouds, a primitive rainbow in solid colored stripes and a few butterflies. Somewhere a few items were added: very realistic jets, helicopters, seagulls and bunnies. What would Lego City be without this? The room went from a cramped 30″ in height around a curved wall to a height of eight feet. Below are some closeups Here’s a picture of the finished space. I’m hoping to be invited back when Lego City is built! So, you would think I’d be ecstatic at the idea of working in a wide open space, under blue skies? Well, to a […]
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Walk Away From The Wall!

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 05, 2014· in Childrens, Clouds, Dining Room, Floral, Mica, Murals·

A few years back, I used to teach week long workshops at schools for those wanting to learn decorative painting. Subjects included painting murals, clouds, trompe l’oeil and perspective. I taught occasionally in Denver and Atlanta, but was most at home in Houston at Janie Ellis’s School of Decorative Painting at Anything But Plain. As I was scheduled there several times a year, I had the unique opportunity for me to get to know my students well. I followed their progress and got to know them well enough to appreciate some very distinct personalities. The most common problem most faced was expecting way too much of themselves during a short period of time. The mind says “Yes, I know I need to factor in years of practice” but the truth is the heart looks for perfection. Quickly, with frustration only a heartbeat away. I shared my own mantra of what to do when that happened. I tell myself to walk away from the wall. A few feet’s distance quickly puts things into perspective. An artist needs to learn when something is done. Two projects this month had me muttering to walk away from the wall, indeed. A dining room designed by […]
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