Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf Archives - Leichsenring Studios

I have a big favor to ask of you!

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 10, 2024· in Artwork, Birds, Fine Art, Floral, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf· 0 comments

I know it’s been a while since my last newsletter. I’ve got a full eight weeks of recuperation from a total knee replacement, and it’s time to get back to the real world. Besides therapy, I spent the time well, getting all my upcoming projects in order. Very grateful to have time on my easel, painting with oils, which brings me to the favor I’m asking from each and every one of you. One of my paintings, entitled “Esther” (gratefully named after my cousin JoAnn’s granddaughter, Esther, who took the great inspirational photo of this seagull) was selected to be in a juried art show at the JAG Gallery in Key West. This represents a true milestone in this last branch of career addition of becoming an oil painter. I promised myself that if and when this ever happened, I would be there in person to see the piece hanging on the wall. Last weekend, Hans and I travelled for a weekend visit to the gallery in Key West and its opening reception of the show, Small Works. Pieces entered could be no bigger than 10” x 10”. It is both exhilarating and humbling to start realizing a dream, and […]
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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· 0 comments

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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It seems I have painted a lot of furniture

by Sharon Leichsenring· July 01, 2021· in Budget Conscious, Chinoisierie, Fretwork, Furniture, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf, Lettering, Murals, Scrollwork, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil· 0 comments

When I’ve been asked, do I “do” furniture, I mostly think, a little, now and then. But as samples started for yet another piece, I realized, I “do” quite a bit of furniture.Sometimes it’s truly a cost effective method to transform an existing piece to fit into perhaps new or recently redesigned surroundings. Sometimes it’s to add that all important dash of whimsy or elegance-both staples in my repertoire- to a new or old piece.So here we go…A coffee table was treated to a tissue finish for texture and bold zebra striped graphics A very traditional piece got an art deco uplift in black and metallic gold, brush applied. Another traditional piece got star treatment with stried plaster, tissue, metallic paint and glaze with razor sharp accents in black enamel This bathroom vanity had wicker painted in trompe l’oeil. You can see my source inspiration on the printed paper on the lower shelf. It looks so real. These two pieces were lovely when first purchased but the wood finish no longer fit the space. Painted in a deep burgundy, depth added with black wax and just the slightest tough of pewter metallic wax for accent. The buffet pictured here is […]
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Looking Back at Looking Up

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 01, 2020· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Clouds, Commercial Space, Floral, Fretwork, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf, Lettering, Mica, Murals, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil· 0 comments

OK, I’m not proud to admit it but there is a really bad outcome when two of my personality traits collide. I easily admit to being a bit technically challenged. Less easy to admit is that when there is a task at hand that I really don’t want to do, especially something requiring computer skills, I dig my heels in and become a first class procrastinator. And now I’m dealing with the fallout. I had to get rid of my beloved laptop because I kept accumulating photos way past the point of storage capacity. So I have a new laptop with tons more storage and I’m creating clutter and chaos. No way to avoid it. I’ve been cleaning up my mess. There was a silver lining. While sorting through hundreds ( OK, thousands) of old photos, I came across ceiling projects that for the most part, I don’t think I’ve ever posted. There might be a few that have showed up on my Instagram feed, but the fun was the older projects, done before I started this newsletter. And forgive the quality of a few of the older photographs. Just saying. I didn’t have an Iphone 11 back in the […]
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The Glow of Gold

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 31, 2017· in Artisan Finish, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Birds, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf· 0 comments

I’ve got to admit, this powder room is going to be a tough act to top! Simply put, I loved every part of it, from the planning to the last bird. Oh, the birds! But I’m rushing ahead of myself. My client, to whom I’m truly grateful for this painting experience, made the initial choice for the room. She had an inspiration picture that she had filed away several years ago, knowing this was her vision for this powder room. It showed a gold leafed wall with traditional chinoiserie painted on top of it. First, I made two gold leaf samples for her. One was very formal, and as close to perfect as the human hand can make it. The second, done on a brick red bole, the rich color that is behind the gold leaf and adds to his great depth of color, had some irregularities, leaving some of the seams about a sixteenth of an inch exposed here and there. Actually harder to do creating the irregularities, but well worth the effort. It gave a gentle sense of aging to the gold. Gold leaf is actually incredibly thin pieces of gold that are attached to a tacky sized […]
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This Magic Moment

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 02, 2016· in Bathrooms/Powder Room, Birds, Gold Leaf/Silver Leaf, Murals, Property Brothers, Tropical· 0 comments

So, I finished painting what I’m sure will remain one of my favorite dining room murals EVER! My client was a superb collaborator when it came to the design of this three walled mural (the fourth wall is a fireplace with a surround of classic wood panels and molding.) Studying her Pinterest inspiration board, a theme became clear: a landscape taking its cue from 19th century Zuber panoramic wallpapers, based on a tropical, Eden-like world. I’m going to get right to it. Here are the pictures. Once the palette was worked out, it was just wonderful to come to work each day, making this come alive. Somewhere along the way, the magic happened. The room has a mood as soon as you step into it. There is a peacefulness that borders on being ethereal. Below are my favorite trees. The solemn herons appear on each wall. I gave you a little background about this project in my January newsletter. I first painted a mural in this residence fifteen years ago. The owner’s four children (ages eight to three at the time) were incorporated into the painting. The figures were about one inch in height. Look at them now, […]
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