Brick Treatments Archives - Leichsenring Studios

In the words of Dr. Seuss “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!”

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 27, 2023· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Bas Relief, Brick Treatments, Ceiling, Clouds, Dome, Murals· 0 comments

Was he speaking directly to me, the esteemed Dr. Seuss? Would the poem provide answers to the absolute gut-wrenching reaction I used to have when contemplating a project where I’d spend days on ladders? And the bad reaction only began with ladders. There were scaffolds to climb and scissor lifts to navigate. Seems the love of painting was and continues to be greater than the fear. If you shudder at the idea of heights, tag along with me through a few of my challenges. First check out this barrel ceiling. Here is the space during construction. It’s good you can’t see my face as you’re reading. I really had to work hard keeping the panic in place. However, and it still amazes me every time, once I have that stern talk with myself and start painting, the fear truly dissipates. Got my backer’s scaffold in place and commenced painting this ceiling, grid method, square by square. This next project was a cloud dome that was over an inside pool. Look at the support structure to hold the dance floor that would span over the approximately 28’ wide pool. Once I climbed through the trap door onto the dance floor, I was […]
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I’m in a Brick State of Mind

by Sharon Leichsenring· September 01, 2021· in Artisan Finish, Brick Treatments, Fireplace· 0 comments

The only thing that has finally stopped surprising me in the roster of types of work I do is the vast differences of tasks I’m called on to do as a decorative painter. From the intensity of designing tightly composed murals, to free fall painting clouds and onto the hardier workload of plaster textures, I have learned to shift my focus from all, and concentrate on the task at hand. And right now, it’s bricks. Bricks, bricks and more bricks. And what to do. So let’s just get this technique out of the way. Whitewash. Diluted paint (just thinned with water). Apply and rub off. Many thin coats til you get the look you want. I must confess, I’ve never actually EVER used white paint to white wash. I like a dirty gray or taupe. Use white on red brick and there’s no getting around the pink overtone. Here’s a section in progress. There’s little use discussing it. I’m not a great fan. I still see pink. Not as bad diluted with a dirty color white, but it’s there. Pink. So time to move on to some fun stuff. You want to change the look of that brick you just […]
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Sometimes Less is More

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 01, 2020· in Brick Treatments, Fireplace, Murals, Scrollwork· 0 comments

As wonderful as it is to have a glorious, detailed mural on the work docket, there are many occasions where the solution is the more direct and simple. When done correctly, it is elegant. Being a decorative painter, there are just so many paint paths besides mural painting. Two such occasions presented themselves recently. In the first, interior designer Dyane Pjura ( Shadee Lady Interior Design and Custom Window treatments in Shelton) wanted to discuss her vision for a new look for her client’s foyer. She showed me the carpet sample that would be used as the runner on the stairs. She said: “I see scrolls. Big scrolls”. “Ok”, I replied. “Just how big?”. Pencil to paper shows the results. The largest scroll is almost 8 ½’ in diameter. The design was streamlined, one color only so the graphic had to carry the entire focus. No shadows to distract. Just scrolls. Big, glorious scrolls. Take a look. I could look at these for a long, long time. The second occasion had a completely different set of requirements. Though there is no average or typical client, when your client is an interior designer, you are looking at a project through an […]
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Partial garden shot with door and gate and flowers

Take a walk with me in the garden

by Sharon Leichsenring· October 01, 2019· in Artwork, Birds, Brick Treatments, Floral, Murals· 0 comments

I was just more than a little excited to start work on this particular mural. It was challenging in scope and detail and it had to completely set the mood for this entire master bedroom suite. I started with three drawings, knowing that I was so in love with one of them that I thought I could never do justice to the mural if it wasn’t to be the layout I wanted. “Pick me, pick me”, I probably not so silently whispered. But my client and I were so both in tune to what we were looking for that it was no contest, and the already chosen became official. That done, revisions took place. The gate to the garden was modified to include a pattern from the scrollwork that exists in the home’s foyer. Flowers were listed to be included. We would have hydrangea, roses, lilacs, shasta daisies, black-eyed susans, pussy willow, lavender and bee balm. Irish ivy for the brick wall. Artistic liberty indulged here. Our garden blossoms with no regard to the season of each particular flower. Here they grow in unison, in vibrant color that so suits my client’s personality. Each flower chosen in deference to a […]
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A Little Goes A Long Way!

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 01, 2018· in Artisan Finish, Artwork, Brick Treatments, Budget Conscious, Ceiling, Childrens, Fireplace, Headboards, Scrollwork, Trompe L'oeil· 0 comments

One of the biggest misconceptions that people make about decorative painting is that it’s only something for mansions. That artists like myself are only interested in big, lengthy (read expensive) projects in high end properties. I’d like to use this newsletter to illustrate just how wrong that notion is. Many of these are smaller scaled design solutions that took only a day or two to complete. This first example is a simple, glazed finish for this kitchen in Darien, Connecticut. I didn’t want to compete with the gorgeous jaw-dropping countertops, so the glaze served as a perfect transition from the intricate patterning found in the stone. The grey has just a hint of plum that matches the same overtone in the cabinetry. Next, the windows flanking the fireplace in scenic Seymour, CT framed a view too pretty to block with window treatments. Instead, I used the lovely flowered branches and bird motifs found in the sofa fabric to marry the walls to the rest of the room. And when it comes to window treatments, simple panels soar to the next level with the addition of a painted border. Both of these designs were driven from the fabric patterns. The focal […]
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When you hit a brick wall

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 02, 2017· in Brick Treatments, Commercial Space, Lettering, Murals· 0 comments

When I hit a brick wall, it’s with a smile on my face and paint brushes in hand. Painting on brick brings a whole set of challenges to the table. The surface is uncompromising and changing at every turn. I deal with it by remembering the mission: to end up with result I would have on a smooth surface. Some recent projects have been interior ones. Truthfully, each of these has been fun and an opportunity to paint something a little out of the box. A huge shout out to Bruno DiFabio , along with Steve Cioffi and Germano Minin, at whose restuarants these brick beauties reside. The most difficult part of painting these walls, ironically, is not the painting. It’s the step following, distressing armed with a sander and a squirt bottle of dirty glaze to make the work appear as if it’s been there for decades. You will find the Bertolli girl at Bronx House in Stamford. The lady on a boar just makes me want to grin. She presides on the focal brick wall at Ridgefield’s Village Tavern. I can still hear Sandra DiFabio as I got ready to hit the just completed painting with a sander. […]
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Painting in Paradise

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 01, 2017· in Brick Treatments, Fireplace, Kitchen, Property Brothers, Video· 0 comments

This year started out with true change of venue for me. When Patrick Briel of Tripka Design, Milford, CT (www.TripkaDesign.com), asked me if I’d be interested in finishing some kitchen cabinets, I had to admit it’s not on the top of my list of favorite things to do. Dramatic pause. He finishes the question. On Saint John in the Virgin Islands. Like he had to ask twice. So a few days ahead of the last snowstorm we had here in Connecticut, I arrived in St. John. My husband Hans jumped to the front of the volunteer line, the extra set of hands to flip doors and drawers (and take care of driving on the wrong side of the road!) The agreed finish was simple and subtle: a softened stria in gray to provide a neutral background to the clean lines of the kitchen design. I’ve got pictures of the work in progress. Take a look at the video so you can appreciate how beautiful my work place was. Turn my head in the next direction and I’d see this. One of the difficult parts of a job in that isolated a location is judging the time needed. We finished up with […]
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Coffered Ceilings on Property Brothers job

Thankful for the Side Dishes

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 17, 2015· in Artwork, Brick Treatments, Ceiling, Fireplace, Kitchen, Lettering, Signs· 0 comments

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and once I got this title in my head, I couldn’t let the metaphor go. Certainly it is the turkey that is the centerpiece of the traditional celebration, but it is those side dishes that add the flavors and creativity. And so it is with my own portfolio. Yes, mural painting is the foundation of my work, but this month was a perfect example of those “side dishes” that don’t come around all that often, but when they do, what a treat! The first project was a brick wall in a red palette that was just completely unacceptable for the marvelous kitchen renovation. My client thought a simple whitewashing would tone the color down. I have her permission to show you her thought to see how it might look. It was ingenious. She used chalk, and literally colored the bricks to check out the effect. Not good. The result was dirty pink and coral tones. Below is the sample I created once the background had been painted. And here’s how lovely it looked when completed. Very believable and custom matched to her granite, flooring and cabinetry. I’ve also been doing quite a few canvas commissions. […]
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