About Sharon

I am Sharon Leichsenring, the founder of Leichsenring Studios. I am a muralist, but it’s more than just painting on a wall or ceiling. When you see one of my completed projects, you are a part of a total illusion. There’s the sense of having an artist create that special world for you, in your own home that is truly yours. It’s more than finding the correct palette or reference materials-which are important-but the core of the successful design is being able to take your wish and translate it into that emotional response you are seeking. A well-designed mural or vignette should be able to evoke that response every time it’s viewed.

Once the elements for a mural have been chosen, the drawing begins. My clients find it amazingly easy to comprehend what I have in mind because I make it a simple process for you. Once a rough thumbnail has been chosen, I make a detailed and scaled drawing of the mural. Often, I work on printed copies of the room, so you can see the mural with your furniture and window treatments.

Sharon on scaffolding

If necessary to ensure color matching, I can create a miniature of a section of the mural in full color, called a maquette. Upon occasion, I have created dioramas to illustrate a complex full room mural.

I studied at the Paier School of Art, formerly known as the Whitney School, in New Haven, CT. My earlier background as a commercial hand-lettering artist contributed razor sharp execution combined with training as a graphic and fine artist were a winning combination.

The first 25 years of my career was as a commercial sign painter. All my work was hand executed years before and during the great vinyl invasion. A chance invitation into the world of decorative painting proved so potent that I spent years in both camps. You cannot sell a lettering business. You need to be able to walk away. I spent three long, sixty-to-seventy-hour work weeks, developing my decorative arts, supported by hand lettering.

Decorative painting included mural painting as well as artisan finishes, such as plaster. That portfolio also included stenciling, faux bois ( wood graining), faux marble and gold leafing. During this time, I spent almost ten years developing and teaching professional week-long workshops in trompe l’oeil and mural painting . Teaching provides a substantial base for my understanding of the work. As a teacher, I could no longer rely on what came to me intuitively. Teaching others forced me into the position of learning as much as I could and being able to understand and share clearly. Teaching others was a gift to myself. It helped articulate the style that would become a signature in my work.

Sharon painting ceiling dome

The past few years have made it clear that my true love of all of these avenues is mural painting. I’ve reached a point in my career to know it’s time to do the work, and only that work, that my heart is in. So, this simple sentence now suffices. I am a muralist.I see the path that has led me here as a decades’ long apprenticeship. Every skill learned along the way has contributed to the skill set that I continually work on improving. My goal is and will always be creating the best mural for my client’s space that I can envision and embracing every challenge until that goal is met.

Sharon painting

My work can be found in residences in residences and businesses throughout Fairfield County, New Haven County and Litchfield County in Connecticut as well as Westchester County in New York. Perhaps the largest mural project I have designed and painted is at the Fulton Friendship Lodge #102 in Park Ridge, NJ. I also enjoy traveling for work, particularly to Texas, where I have been fortunate to make many good friends as a result.

This may sound like a cliché and from Confucius, no less, but it sums me up. “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I know the love shows in my work and nothing pleases me more than to share it.

Tip for fellow muralists. Remember to have dog treats.