Mural Painting ~ Window Trim Decor for old stone house in Tuscany, Italy
How it works:
How do you commission a mural? Well, this couple wanted some color inside their home. They looked in architectural design magazines and found a few ideas they thought might work. They asked around and were given my name to create a design and paint the murals.
I met with them the first time to see what exactly they wanted: the samples they liked, the words they used to describe emotionally what they wanted for their home, and their tastes, budgets, time constraints, etc.
Then I went home and did some research and came up with many ideas. During the second meeting, they choose the central design. I went back home and created this color sample swatch and let them sit with it for a day or two.
But they had a good idea of what they wanted for the first window. I started right away. We added some color mixtures as we moved to each new window and we both got a better feel of what they like.
Home owner took this photo of artist Kelly Borsheim painting on his wall in the dining room.
I used acrylic paint since there were far more color choices than house painting choices, also BRIGHTER colors, which is what they were looking for. But also, the murals were so small relative to the size of the walls that there was no fear of these ancient stone walls being able to breathe. [I tend to think of acrylic paint like a plastic. It has its perks for sure, but like everything else, its drawbacks in certain situations.]
In one bedroom, the color choice was a teal with blue highlights for the window mural design. Here you see the detail of the simple shape with two colors. I pretended there was a light source coming from the upper left. So that it added some depth idea, contrary to the impression that a total outline would give.
The artist Kelly removes the painter's tape on the first window after the acrylic paint has dried while painting a different window.
Modified design for small window
In total, I painted for three days. Give another day or so for the research and meetings. In addition to getting paid, these charming home owners invited me to lunch with them. We had a lovely time together and they want to commission a painting of their home later, once the flowers come in.
The upstairs had a low roof and thus, the home owners felt that the design should be shortened to lessen the visual feel of the lower ceiling.
I altered the main design of the central emblem for the upstairs. Also, in one bedroom, there were two small windows above the bed. I used just the Fleur-di-lis of the original form above those. Anything more would have felt too heavy, but having something there balanced the color above and on the sides of the large window.
I hope you enjoy this fun project. I love doing murals, especially for interiors.
I can also paint on a canvas that you then mount to your walls. Great for guest houses or rooms, since your guests will never walk off with your art. Let's talk!