Floral Archives - Leichsenring Studios

Painting Dogwood Blossoms

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 01, 2019· in Artwork, 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 […]
Read More

Here a robin, there a bluebird

by Sharon Leichsenring· January 01, 2019· in Artwork, Birds, Budget Conscious, Ceiling, Chinoisierie, Floral, Powder Room, 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 […]
Read More

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 01, 2018· in Floral, Murals, Trompe L'oeil, Video·

If it’s true that good fences make good neighbors, then this recent project will be making the whole neighborhood happy. I was contacted by Jan who began as a student and client years ago and has become a dear friend. I met Jan over a decade ago at the school of Anything but Plain Decorative Finishes in Houston where I taught workshops in mural painting, trompe l’oeil and perspective drawing amongst many other classes. Jan took a class and at the end took me up on the request I make of students: stay in touch, send me pictures. She did exactly that and then one day asked me to come to her newly built home in Grapeland, Texas to paint a mural. It would be the first of many murals I would come to paint there. A treat every single time as I fell under the charms of the peacefulness of East Texas. Here’s a picture of Jan and me at the Blue Bell Creameries, home of arguably the best ice cream in the country. This project brought many aspects of my Texas connections together. Amongst my visitors while working was Janie Ellis, founder of Anything But Plain, […]
Read More

Fit for a Queen, a Royal Powder Room Indeed!

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 04, 2018· in Dogs, Floral, Murals, Powder Room, Scrollwork, Trees, Video·

Sometimes, I simply need to pinch myself. A project is presented and I know how fortunate I am as an artist that the path has brought it to me. And what a challenge this would be. A small powder room, 58″ wide, 84″ long and 7 ½’ in height. Fill this space with images of one my client’s favorite places, the Gardens of Versailles. Challenge accepted. Here’s the white walls that I first saw. I drew scaled drawings suggesting different vistas, knowing I would have to seam them together. I started on the wall with the sink and toilet because it also had the one small window in the space. A stained glass window is being created to continue my vision and so as to keep the stained glass artist on schedule, this was the best place to start. I saved my palettes from the that area so that not only would he have the acrylic colors I was using but he could see the blending that took place for the best color accuracy. When it’s installed, I’ll share pictures. A few tricky areas getting behind the mirror and the sides of the toilet, but my world was […]
Read More

Wrapping up 2016

by Sharon Leichsenring· January 02, 2017· in Childrens, Commercial Space, Floral, Murals, Powder Room, 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 […]
Read More

Fields of Lavender

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 06, 2016· in Floral, Murals, Video·

The idea of the mural in this exquisite home was found in a combined love of the owner for color and flowers. The air of Provence in the rounded foyer nestled beneath the second floor turret made the choice of lavender fields, punctuated by tall standing sentinels of sunflowers, an easy one. Needing to be able to look at all the walls at the same time, I photographed it to capture all my paintable areas and then drew on this template. It made it easy for my client to see the mural as a single piece, rather than all the small choppy areas you notice when windows and doors and stairs intrude. The result? A total immersion in a sea of color when you come in the front door. Best to show you the video first. Here are a few still shots to see the details. You know how much I love a little architectural detail. Look below to see the lovely shadows caught in this illustration. My only regret? The lavender planted outside the drifts of hydrangea as a border was not in bloom when I finished painting. The view through the windows promises to be […]
Read More

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 […]
Read More

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 […]
Read More

A Rose by Any Other Name

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 02, 2014· in Ceiling, Dining Room, Floral, Furniture·

A rose by any name other than DeCandolle’s Rose would just not express how happy I am right now with the universe. Love when the universe gets it right! The project for redoing this dining room began as a discussion over a cup of coffee with my client in her home, where I had done some smaller projects. Her dining room, though very pretty, was just not hitting the mark to reflect her personality. We talked about something floral, and I asked her if she might consider something where the scale was a little less than traditional. She said sure, and I was off and running. The room seemed perfect for huge, oversized blossoms, with exquisite swirled stems and leaves. My inspiration came from a favorite engraving of mine, Pierre-Joseph Redoubte’s De Candolle’s Rose. It’s beauty to me lies in its simplicity, a sweet briar rose. The sample was painted on a creamy background that I glazed with a pale gold metallic paint. The painting seems so alive, with the gentle shimmer of gold. Here’s my sample. It’s time for the big question. Will my client, Jeannie, love it as much as I do? I’d been vague about what type […]
Read More

Birds and Blossoms… Some of my favorite things

by Sharon Leichsenring· March 10, 2013· in Artwork, Bas Relief, Birds, Floral, 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 […]
Read More