Textured Finishes Archives - Leichsenring Studios

Love Letters to Lusterstone

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 03, 2019· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Powder Room, Property Brothers, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

My love affair with LusterStone plaster started in the early 2000s. I had left my first career as a commercial sign painter behind and was starting to be comfortable defining myself as a decorative artist. I wasn’t ready to lead with the word muralist yet at that point. So, some glazing and stenciling, ornament detailing. Sure. Small murals to get my feet wet. But I never considered myself a plasterer. A superbly rebuilt right thumb shied away from heavy plasters. A definite No! to the tedious labor of burnishing Venetian plaster. And then came the phone call from Janie Ellis, friend and mentor, founder of Anything But Plain in Houston. “I’ve got this new stuff you absolutely have to try. And I’m sending some to you.” To know Janie is to know that ” uh, I don’t think so” is not going to be a possibility for an answer. So my containers came, and it was love at first sight. LusterStone, a product of Faux Effects International, is a luscious, creamy plaster infused with mica that produces a shimmer when troweled smoothly. In its early days there was a more limited palette but now it sports fifty color choices. I […]
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Painting Furniture 101, the rules

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 03, 2019· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Fretwork, Furniture, Headboards, Powder Room, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

From where I sit, there is only one rule to painting furniture: have fun with it. Believe in the power of color, indulge in your whimsical nature and do not be afraid to desecrate a “real” wood finish. First case in point, my own dream project. This idea had been living in my “have to get this done someday ” part of my mind for such a long time. I could almost see it finished, but I admit, I was intimidated by the time I was going to have to put into this cabinet. I’d envisioned my own interpretation of a MacKenzie Childs creation, filled with patterns, stripes and detail. Did I say detail? The plan kept getting more involved. The starting point-two innocent resin bumblebees, given to me by my cousin Nancy as a thank you for helping her on a fireplace redo. Actually, she gave me four, so I still have another project calling me. But I digress. The bees in turn, called for a bee and thistle motif. I couldn’t find a scroll pattern I liked, so I designed my own. Recently, the designers at MacKenzie Childs have added other color palettes, particularly to their black and […]
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Two sides of texture

by Sharon Leichsenring· December 01, 2018· in Artisan Finish, Budget Conscious, Commercial Space, Furniture, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

Wall finishes have come such a long way since DIY sponge kits. Let’s take a look at two approaches to using texture. Recently, Bella’s Café in New Haven underwent major renovations when the original café was expanded by taking over the newly available space next door. Dramatic warm colors were chosen for the multi-layered plaster finish on the walls. The color started with depth , a mesmerizing merlot, followed by a rich carmine, and finished with a cinnamon hue. The plaster is infused with mica powder. The layers alternate from smooth troweling to lacelike texture. Here’s the wall to check out. The banquettes were covered in a deep oxblood color, which prompted the trim color I chose. The excitement came when I spotted these shutters on a fun hunting trip with Rose, the owner. I was tasked with matching the worn colors on new wood needed to hang the shutters. I took a cue from the shutter colors and instead of flat black on the ceiling, it’s a dark gray with a definite deep blue green cast. Take a breather from these highly charged color choices, and see the ship lapped wall opposite the banquettes has a textured salt […]
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Tying up loose ends

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 31, 2018· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Dogs, Furniture, Textured Finishes, Trees·

Some months, my newsletters seem to write themselves. It’s a project that has its start to finish completely falling within the calendar days of that month. I write my story, share my pictures and out it goes to you. Easy Peasy. And then there are those projects that have a life of their own, the last piece taking its time to fall into place. I made promises to share the end shots with you, so enjoy. My April 2018 newsletter (you can read it at https://www.leichsenringstudios.com/fit-for-a-queen-a-royal-powder-room-indeed/) was about one of my favorite powder rooms is in Stamford, CT and was completely muraled ,including the ceiling. My client asked if I knew someone who could take care of the final detail that needed to be dealt with: changing the existing casement window into one made of stained glass. Yes, I did know someone whose work would be a perfect match to my own. Enter Michael Skrtic. An extraordinary stained glass designer and maker. You can check out his work at www.theglasssource.com. I drew the scene in the window area that would have been painted had there been no window. I also saved my palette so Michael could see […]
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A Gallery Opens in Trumbull

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 01, 2016· in Clouds, Events, Headboards, Murals, Textured Finishes·

A new gallery is opening its doors soon in Trumbull. I am so psyched because I will have work hanging on its walls! And what a gallery it is. A totally new concept. The works of art are custom headboards. Located at 1 Trefoil Drive in my hometown of Trumbull, I.M.Smitten will be hosting a private Friends and Family Party November 5th to show off its unique collection of custom headboards. The brainchild of owner George Holley and his partners Phairot Iamnaita and Holly Sutton Darr, the collection includes innovative features such as built in reading lights and USB ports. Design Director Holly Sutton Darr has collected an impressive array of Connecticut artists and artisans to execute their talents on the headboards. Here I am working on one of my favorites, a queen size board showing Italianate Scrollwork. My boards include some textured finishes. I’ll also show you a few of my favorite “mural” boards. The collection of artists brings wonderful visual energy to the gallery. There is hand painted glass, plaster and wonderfully distressed finishes. As an artists, I love the opportunity to paint in the company of other artists. All work is completed on premise. Truly, as […]
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The Dragon’s Tail

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 06, 2016· in Mica, Powder Room, Textured Finishes, Video·

Since this project was conceived months ago, it’s been living in the crazy part of my psyche. Many are the times I would play back the proposal and wonder: what was I thinking? Surely, this was insane. Up until the actual moment of installation, I questioned the process and for a moment of terror thought this might not work. Wrong, oh so wrong. So to the beginning of the story. A tiny powder room, square footage wise, 6 feet by barely 4. But competing with a powerful piece of inspiration. This is the mirror with the dragon frame. I needed to design something that could hold its own against such drama. And I came up with the idea of a magnificent dragon’s tail, unfurling itself across the walls. And that’s when crazy entered the picture. I’m currently having a love affair with mica, adding it as a layer to plaster finishes, and I thought, this was the perfect solution. The raw mica comes in blocks, and one splits the sheets apart. I could cut the scales out of mica. They would come alive as light hit and reflected around the room. I started by drawing out the tail, numbering […]
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Art Deco Delicious

by Sharon Leichsenring· June 03, 2011· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Murals, Textured Finishes, Trompe L'oeil·

There’s no other way to describe this home media room project: it’s one of my most favorite jobs, ever! Kudos to my client for having such a clear vision of what he wanted, and allowing me to bring it from concept to completion. Here’s the entry. I relied on my old sign painting skills to make templates for the dimensional marquee. They were then cut and assembled with column support. The columns were cut and inserted to add depth to the opening. Made of PVC pipe, a faux marble was painted on the surface of the pair of columns. They were top coated with a high gloss sheen to enhance the finish. The doors are stippled with an antique bronze metallic finish . I painted an art deco motif on the doors. The painting has a dimensional style of its own. It is painted in trompe l’oeil style. This French term, meaning “to fool the eye” uses a complex system of painting values ranging from bright highlights, to deep cast shadows. Come on in! A visual feast awaits within. A giant starburst was constructed on the ceiling. The bronze palette continued with gold and dark chocolate accents. All the wood […]
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Choosing Your Challenges

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 01, 2011· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Columns, Dining Room, Textured Finishes·

From time to time, projects come across my desk that I consider remarkable. What makes them so? In the two cases in this month’s newsletter, the common thread is that both would challenge me to use a skill set out of my comfort zone. The first was an opportunity to paint a large-sized canvas measuring 64″ by 103″. See it below. It is the “Fog Warning”, after Winslow Homer. Usually, the first, and I think more difficult step of a mural project is composing the design. Not a problem here. Here was an exquisite composition; the challenge was to decipher the artist’s palette and brush strokes. I obtained a large print, and then enlarged it section by section to analyze the movement of the original painting. I enjoyed the process once I allowed myself to relax and embrace it. A frame is in the works, but I couldn’t wait to share. The second challenge was so very, very different. I had an opportunity to work on this with the talented Ashlie Bickford of A Fabulous Finish in the Woodlands, Texas. We had an assist from Ashlie’s partner, Kindra Benge, as we got close to deadline. Indeed, even our wonderful […]
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Tasty Dining Rooms

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 04, 2011· in Artisan Finish, Ceiling, Clouds, Dining Room, Mica, Murals, Textured Finishes·

For my friends in the northeast, have we had enough snow yet? For those of you in warmer climates, you just don’t know what you’re missing (or maybe you do, and that’s why you moved away). In any event, this month’s newsletter deals with that particular room of the home where, regardless of the weather, we join for family, good friends and delicious food. You’ve guessed it: the dining room. Here is a sampling of murals and faux finishes from a handful of my favorite dining rooms. First, here is a classical Zuber design panel. My favorite part of this mural is the trompe l’oeil frame I painted around the mural so it has a detailed start and finish. The rest of the walls were glazed for added depth. Next, is a sunny Tuscan selection. The warmth of these colors carries through every on the greyest day of winter. Loving these warm colors, our next room has a sophisticated hand painted medallion. The walls sport a mica-infused plaster finish in a warm custard yellow. Here is an art deco favorite. Looks like everyone is at the party already! The soft pastoral colors of this landscape promise just the right dinner […]
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