Staircase Archives - Leichsenring Studios

History Repeats Itself!

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 31, 2022· in Artwork, Historic, Horses, Murals, Staircase, Trompe L'oeil·

I received an email recently, from a gentleman who had just purchased a home in Middletown, NY. He found a mural that I had painted there ten years ago. Music to my ears coming as he wrote “we admire the murals that you did. We will proudly keep them the way they are”. He taught high school history, and it was his curiosity that had him inquire. He asked if I could fill him in on any of the background of his murals. (Don’t worry, I’ve got the old newsletter with all the pictures and I’ll be sharing that below). He had not bought the house from my client. There had been , in fact, another owner in between, who also left the murals as they were. I had painted them on Masonite panels as the work was very detailed, translate, time consuming, and Middletown was just a little too far for a commute. I painted them at home and installed them when completed. I explained my client, a police officer, had not just a historical interest in the city. He was also a Civil War buff. We decided to morph that focus into a view of Middletown starting at the time […]
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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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Hanging ’round the farm for inspiration

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 03, 2018· in Artwork, Bathrooms/Powder Room, Dogs, Horses, Kitchen, Murals, Staircase·

It’s supposed to be the lazy days of summer, but time is flying here at my studio. I’ve got a darling little project that needs to be finished but this newsletter is not going to write itself waiting for me to finish it. So this month we’ll start with some progress shots. For sure I’ll be finished by next month. After visiting with my client, the initial direction to use her beautiful flowering gardens as inspiration. Then it changed as she thought the flowers and landscape could be minimal and a variety of farm animals take center stage. Here are the original sketches. I’m more than halfway done. Here’s one of the front panels and one side panel completed. I’ve been juggling deadlines to finish this, and you know I will. The farm theme also showed up in a painting I completed for Bella’s Café I (home of the best upscale comfort food in Connecticut) in New Haven. He’ll be hung as soon as Bellas’s reopens when the renovations are complete .Here’s the Rocking Rooster canvas I painted. Along with my dry sink, I’ll have more pictures of Bella’s next month. In keeping with completed […]
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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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A Tree Grows in Tarrytown

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 01, 2016· in Murals, Staircase, Stairwell, Trees·

I have been waiting my entire career to tackle a staircase in its entirety. It’s the truth. I’ve always seen the two walls as a single connecting canvas, but it was finding the right client to see it through my eyes. Here’s what the layout looks like. Hmmm…..How to make the subject matter work? And what exactly is the subject? My client was oh so prepared. She had created a visual feast in her exquisite landscaping and wanted to bring that vision into the foyer to warm the space. When we first met, she had dozens of photos printed out of the areas that were important to her, taken during different times of day and from a choice of angles. Center stage was a large maple that was take top billing. Drawings approved, I could not wait to start. Walk through the project with me. Here is the bottom section completed. Already my client and I could see the flow of colors she has used in her connecting rooms flow into the palette I used. Big smiles all around. Now it’s time to start the wall heading up to the second floor. I laid it out in charcoal, and as […]
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Rooms with a View

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 03, 2015· in Bathrooms/Powder Room, Clouds, Dining Room, Kitchen, Murals, Places, Staircase, Stairwell·

The 21st interior design celebration, Rooms with a View, took place in Southport recently. Conceived as a brilliant church fundraiser under the auspices of the famed Albert Hadley (designer for the Kennedy White House, the Rockefellers, Astors and Gettys to name a few notable clients), each year the show embraces traditional and cutting edge design. Each of the twelve invited designers is given a space of 5′ x 8′ to create a vignette. They have a week to”build” their room, which comes quite simply with three walls and wiring for electricity. Then, the magic is on display for the weekend. This year was personally exciting to yours truly because the design team, Tracy Dwyer and Patrick Briel, from Westport’s Parc Monceau had asked me to paint a floor cloth that would be used in their vignette, The.Diving.Room. Too cool for words, I assure you. First, take a look at the room’s view. My rippling water over sand design painted on a canvas floor cloth is easily seen through the Lucite coffee table. Here is another view of the room. Here is the rug by itself. If you’ve never been to Rooms with a View, plan to next year. I’ll […]
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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 House Touched by History

by Sharon Leichsenring· May 03, 2012· in Historic, Horses, Murals, Places, Staircase, Stairwell·

A Victorian house sits on a quiet street in Middletown, NY. The historic marker on the sidewalk in the only sign that hints to passersby of the rich history that is part of Middletown’s history. When I first met with the owners, it was clear to me right from the start how challenging a project this would be. The owners have a clear respect for the value of their home’s history. Care has been taken to protect the original stained glass work. The intricate workmanship hails from another era. How then to combine all the subject matter that Middletown had to offer? The Thrall Library was a treasure trove of information and old photographs. I also photographed some of the existing buildings and statues. I designed the mural in two sections. The work was done on wood panels and when completed, attached and framed to the wall. Here they are! If I’ve captured your curiosity, let’s take a look up close. The first two scenes reflect the owner’s interest in the Civil War. The tattered flag of the 124th Regiment honors the famous Orange Blossom Regiment formed in Middletown in 1862. The statue of a lone soldier salutes the honor […]
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Bare Naked Stairway

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 05, 2011· in Murals, Staircase, Stairwell·

It’s hard to imagine that anyone was content with the “before” once you’ve seen the “after” photo. It was always an area with something missing. A picture was hung, but just wasn’t the right answer. That was my cue. Here’s my solution. Take a look at the “before” space. Now consider what I could do with it Here’s the “after” shot. Thought you might enjoy some close-up shots. Let me paint an entrance to your private little world. I’d love to talk to you about it.
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Horses of a Different Color

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 01, 2010· in Historic, Horses, Murals, Places, Staircase, Stairwell·

Along the way, there have been more than a few projects that have tested me as an artist. However, and that’s a big however, this one surely tops the list in so many categories. It needed a great deal of research, a tightly maintained sepia palette and a design that could transition from different scenes as one ascended the staircase. I’m going to take advantage of the wonderful writing of Robert Pollack, who authored the following article which appeared in the Shoreline Times of Branford, CT. There are more pictures at the end of the article. Wall of history: Muralist paints life as it was in Gibson Girl era Published: Thursday, November 04, 2010 By Robert C. Pollack Special to the Times BRANFORD – The sepia mural that adorns the wall alongside a staircase and reaches up to the second floor of a seven-room 1925 house takes the viewer into another era. The time of the Gibson Girl and the bowler hat. It seems incongruous that this local historic scene in this old house is near Planet Fitness and busy Boston Post Road. Spanning 13½ feet in length and sweeping up 14 feet, the mural typically evokes this reaction from […]
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