Murals Archives - Leichsenring Studios

Image showing the depth that trompe l'oeil does best

Winter 2024 Masonic Lodge Update

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 13, 2024· in Artwork, Columns, Murals, Trompe L'oeil· 0 comments

So I admit, there was a point in time when I was completely satisfied with my work at the Masonic Lodge in Park Ridge, NJ. The bones of the painted illusion turning the lodge hall into the Temple of Solomon were completed. The eight columns were done. They supported a perimeter of painted ornament around the space which framed the huge open sky tray. Yes, a point in time. But a really brief moment. As soon as I started what we would call phase 2, I simply don’t have words to describe how radically the new work would push what I thought was complete into an entirely new level. I often explain that once I’ve got the design put to paper, I can see it done in my mind’s eye. Boy, was I wrong. Once I started painting the massive blocks ( 20” by 48”) that would fill in the wall space and create the window opening that would feature the first of the project’s murals, I really felt like I was creating magic. Yeah, I know, hardly humble here, but this is one of the few moments in my mural painting career when I have surprised and actually amazed […]
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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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The Best Medicine for the Worst Patient

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 28, 2023· in Artwork, Murals, Scrollwork· 0 comments

It was the night before surgery And all through the house, Not a creature was stirring… Nor anyone wanting to ask Sharon What ARE YOU DOING!!!! So let me give you the back story first. I had three hernia repairs on February 1st. Surgery was a great success. Uneventful. Just like you hope for. THAT was not the problem. What was the problem was what was I going to do for the next three weeks to keep me, and everyone living in this house with me, from going crazy? So, I kept looking at this wall that my bed is against. It’s a huge headboard, and bigger than the windows, and it’s always bugged me. Need I say more? I finished up my last project early afternoon the day before surgery. The idea had been floating around in my head. After dinner, I moved the bed (while I still had the ability to move something more than 10 lbs. The next day, that restriction would be in place.). Started sketching, then blocking in with paint directly on the wall. I’m running out of time because sooner or later, the closed door behind me is going to open… And it does. It’s my […]
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When a Mural Makes You Smile

by Sharon Leichsenring· November 30, 2022· in Artwork, Birds, Ceiling, Murals· 0 comments

If I could wish for a perfect mural client, it would be someone who gets me. Seriously, gets me. The talent part sure, but also that slightly crazed part of my spirit that says, “Oh no worries. That’s not too crazy. I can figure it out. I CAN make it happen.” That person would also have to be good at communicating what she is looking for in a mural, clear in her style and tastes, and trusts me. When this is present, magic happens. Like this ceiling project. I’ve done several projects for Mrs. H, arguably one of my favorite people to paint for. The ceiling in her foyer and the hallway leading from it was sadly lacking, painted in ceiling white, when you could see the gorgeous collection of artwork, hung gallery style on the walls. Lively, bright and full of color, she was looking for a ceiling design to compliment the color on the walls and we would use her passion for Native American art and spirituality as the impetus for the design. Specifically, I needed to include the sun and the moon, running water, canoes, tipis, deer, and several birds that had a personal connection to her. Knowing […]
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History Repeats Itself!

by Sharon Leichsenring· August 31, 2022· in Artwork, Historic, Horses, Murals, Staircase, Trompe L'oeil· 0 comments

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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Take Me Out To The Ballgame

by Sharon Leichsenring· May 31, 2022· in Artwork, Childrens, Clouds, Murals· 0 comments

I’m struggling for a way to approach this with a little humility, but now that it’s done, I’ve got to say, it takes my breath away. So…let’s start at the beginning of the second mural in a child’s bedroom, that connects to the baseball locker I shared last month. My client was looking for a mural with a tremendous amount of action at home base. Having played the position of catcher, we agreed the scene would be of the catcher tagging the runner at home plate. We both liked the idea of a more dated, vintage look so you’ll see the umpire in his black suit, the looser, baggier uniforms on the players and the ball fields and bleachers from a gentler, more simple time. The first sketches placed the mural over the bed. The space above the beds simply didn’t give us the dynamic we were looking for so we crossed to the opposite wall, where the mural could then be seen from the bed. Here’s what that wall looked like. Same advice from my client. Just ignore that door (yes there’s one more) and paint like it’s not there. Boy, did the scale change. Here’s the next two […]
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The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 30, 2022· in Artwork, Childrens, Murals, Trompe L'oeil· 0 comments

It’s been said, “All the other games are sports, but baseball is a love.” You either get it or you don’t. I love baseball, and so does my client. There are actually two murals in this young boy’s bedroom. Today I’d like to share the first project. There was a perfect space to paint a set of lockers, filled with baseball equipment. A perfect space? So says my client, pointing at the wall. All I can see is the paneled door, waiting with traps and crevices. He says, yeah, just paint over it. So that’s the plan. I start working on a sketch. You can see I included the door frame, and it’s obvious from the start I cannot plan to avoid any of the difficult areas, the corners of the raised panels. I will simply force my brush over them. Here’s my sketch. You’ll see a blurry area on the top of the two shirts, here and in further pictures. I’ve blurred the area that shows my clients son’s name, first and middle, to protect his privacy. The sketching goes fairly easily. I’m starting to believe if I squint enough the door will disappear. The blocking in process goes smoothly […]
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Little ballerina putting on her toe shoes

A Tale of Ballerinas

by Sharon Leichsenring· April 01, 2022· in Artwork, Childrens, Murals, Trompe L'oeil· 0 comments

I literally just finished the topcoat on this mural and it’s truly special. I am so happy to be sharing it with you. The request sounded relatively simple, something ballet themed. Ok, but notice we’re talking the real thing here. Check the picture. There’s a mirror in place, with a ballet barre. The carpet has a section in front of the mirror that can be removed revealing a wood floor was practice. Though the child whom this room belongs to is a little shy of five years old, the request for the design is for something that she will enjoy now and will continue to like as she gets older. Hmmm…not so simple. And a composition that would open the imagination to many stories of the ballet. It did take a little while to get to the final design. I really enjoy this part of the process. It gives me an opportunity to share my client’s dream for this mural. Here they are. And might I add, it got a little more complicated when my clients said include the area with the closet door on the right side of the mirror. Yep, just paint over it like it’s part of […]
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My Own Camelot

by Sharon Leichsenring· March 01, 2022· in Artwork, Clouds, Murals, Trees, Video· 0 comments

It started one night I couldn’t sleep. It was back in October. I was staring at a corner in my bedroom, an outside corner that puzzled me until I realized why. I’d painted murals around corners that turned inside a room, but this corner turned outward into a small entrance into the bedroom. How would a mural translate going from one side to another? And then there was no stopping the thinking process that had started. I’d have to paint something. Something (how selfish!) that would be just for me. Trusting my husband Hans would love whatever it might be as much as I would. Turns out, I am a very difficult client indeed. I wanted everything. I wasn’t sure. The possibilities were overwhelming until I got a request from someone who had seen a mural I’d done years ago, that was a border of acanthus leaves. (I do hate to leave loose ends of a story. That request is on hold until the potential client decides she will purchase the property she’d had in mind.) But the seed was in place and I had a direction. I love painting acanthus leaves but this time I’d go one step further. The […]
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The Unmade Bed

by Sharon Leichsenring· February 01, 2022· in Artwork, Murals· 0 comments

Once in a blue moon, or so, I get a request that leaves me fumbling for an easy answer. Most mural projects have a sense of direction. This recent one was quite the exception. My client had been to Metropolitan Museum in NYC to see a collection of 250 drawings done by Paul Cezanne. There was just something about the sketch entitled “The Unmade Bed”. It resonated with her and she wanted to use the image in her own home. I’m clicking while I’m talking to my client, and nothing is coming up on google search except for this image. And a definite and determined client that wants it on her wall. And a perfect wall in her loft bedroom, flooded with light. I’ve gone through all my artbooks and find no mention of the Unmade Bed. All I have is this notation from the Met Collection. “Paul Cezanne’s The Unmade Bed (c.1885) is a drawing made in the artist’s own room. At this time, Cezanne often drew small details of his everyday surroundings. This drawing demonstrates Cezanne’s philosophy: Drawing and painting are not different things. To the degree that one paints, one draws. The more the color becomes harmonious, […]
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