Paint Decor Studio

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Mural in Colorado nursery. I was shocked when I realized this room wasn’t yet on my website. I painted this a few years ago and it was one of the first times I tried my ‘horizon as chair rail’ technique. I love how it turned out. It was fairly easy to base coat the walls; one color on upper walls and ceiling with a second color on the lower 28” of the walls. It was then fairly easy to just paint some distant hills and mountains where the two colors met. Then the technical painting… animals, trees etc.

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What’s Next …. Murals, Portraits… Challenge Me.

I have been thinking. The past year has been full of many great mural projects.

I had the extraordinary opportunity to paint for Bob and Judi Newman who many would argue (without much opposition) are Colorado’s greatest art philanthropists. I did two projects for them (a mural and a dome) and they, their designer, architect and builders were all thrilled with my work.

I received the chance to ‘re-do’ a mural from years back (the family moved into a new home in Colorado Springs but wanted to take their ‘old mural’ with them) and I surprised myself with how much my skills have developed in the past years. It is a unique thing for me to be able to compare two such similar murals from different points in my career.

I was granted the gift of doing whatever my heart desired in order to turn an old shed into something remarkable for the cutest little little three year old. My heart and imagination was allowed to run wild and I had a blast. The result was a true reflection of both my developing mural skills and my history in set design.

On top of these and many more jobs I was able to revisit many past projects in order to get new photographs. I was honored by how much my clients still appreciate my work and I was happy to see that, although some of the projects were crazy hard I generally seem to have triumphed. I am not one to back down from a challenge and I was pleased as punch to see how that showed. Of ten years worth of mural and decorative paint projects I only know of one kid’s wall which has been painted over (sadly I never got great photos of it). Surely there will be more repaints (as kid’s grow up and tastes change) but, regardless, my clients all seem hugely appreciative of my work and were all happy to see my face in their homes again. What a gift I have been given to have such wonderful people to work with.

So, if 2012 has been so full of gifts what will 2013 hold for me. I hope with an open heart that I have more clients who will challenge me with wild ideas. I hope that I have time for more studio work … more puppy portraits, some landscapes, maybe a few wild abstractions of some of my dad’s photographs. I hope that, as I near my 10,000 hours as a painter I may begin to see my own work with a more appreciative and less critical eye.

I hope that I may be able to return as many gifts as I have received from the great art community in Colorado.

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Mural map of all Colorado’s ski resorts. This mural is on the hood of the den fireplace in a Dillon, Colorado home.
This mural was so much fun to design and paint as it incorporates so many of my favorite things; lettering, vintage poster vignettes, and maps (especially of CO).

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Mural in a girl’s room that I just finished today. This is actually the second girl’s room I have completed for this Denver family. First the twin girls were in the same room but since they are getting older the family had me come back and do a second room so each girl can have her own space. This tree had to be different than the one in the nursery but similar so it is a tall, thin, blooming version of it’s counterpart in the first room.

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Mural for Colorado Springs family of English countryside. The little girl specifically asked for pigs… there is a first for everything :)

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This is an image of a mural I just completed for a boy’s room in Colorado Springs. The mom wanted to image to fade out onto the adjacent walls but to be vibrant. She also wanted to include a biplane and sailboats and be non specific (we are not supposed to be able to define the place - it could be Mexico, the Great Barrier Reef or even Cape Cod).
After many e-mails back and forth we found an online image of a painting that was the color scheme and style Mom wanted. From there I merely had to translate it into a mural and add all the additional elements… not easy but I think I made it work.

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DIY Murals by Numbers

Paint by Numbers Murals… why not… they look great right? Here are a few tips that might help.

They can make a phenomenal community project. They can be made from old paint by number craft templates, from licence plates, or any other posterized image you can get your hands on. But, they are not as simple as they look. The hardest parts, for a amateur, would be picking colors, sorting out what paint to buy and, finding a projector. Also, unless you have smooth walls do not even consider this… on texture a simple paint by number would be a mess.

Using the old templates are fun but a bit dated looking (but retro is ‘in’ so that’s a good thing right?). And, unless you are using a template you need to create a color plan.

So, here are a few suggestions (for interior murals)….

1. Remember…. only do ‘Paint by Number Murals’ (especially highly detailed ones) on smooth walls!!!!

2. Buy good quality paint (so that you won’t have to paint three coats of each color)

3. If you need less than a two square feet of a color buy a sample jar of the color (I would recommend Benajmin Moore for this as they have all their samples premixed and it is a good thick paint).

4. If you need more than two shades of a single color buy a quart of the darkest color, a quart of white and a few extra paint buckets (with lids). Mix the shades yourself.

5. All your paint should consistently be eggshell finish (or flat if you won’t be using any sample jars). Samples are made in eggshell and you need to keep your finishes consistent. Shinier paint will show brushstrokes. If you want your mural to have a satin or high sheen finish use a polyurethane clear coat over the whole thing once you are finished.

6. Projecting the image…. you have a few choices here (assuming you don’t already have an opaque projector). You can buy one for not less than a few hundred dollars or you can find someone who already owns one (a local mural artist perhaps) and pay them an hourly rate to come project he image for you. I would highly recommend the later. Getting your image onto the wall isn’t as simple as it sounds (especially if you are shooting for anything larger than about 6’ square).

7. If you want to paint your image exactly as you find it just go to the paint store and match up your colors to paint chips. If you want to change your colors here are a few thoughts. Try playing with the color settings in your favorite photo editing software… if this gives you something you like print it out and take your new image to the paint store. If you want to change things further print out an outline version of your image and color it in yourself (the old fashion way). You need to have a finished image in color before you put any paint on your walls!!!!

Good luck with your murals and if you need any further help please message me in my ‘ask me anything’ section.

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I recently painted this mural for a grand new home in Denver, CO. This is in the hallway outside the grand daughters’ wing of the home. The door at the far end of the hall leads to the bedroom and bath and the door in the tree is to the playroom. This was mural was inspired by the work of Michael Sowa. The overall feel of the mural and especially the giraffe in the boat are direct references to his great illustrations.
The girls on the dock are the owner’s grand daughters and the dog, their gorgeous dog.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Sowa/19796724855

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Decorative Painting/ Mural Pricing… .

There is a fellow mural artist in Denver with whom I was working on a project recently. Our projects were separate but within the same home. I have been finished for over a month, the house is finished but this artist is not. The home owners are frustrated and the general contractor is furious. Add to this the fact that this artist never put a bid together (although she was asked to repeatedly) and she just sent in a bill for about nine times what mine was. If I had done her projects (which were more complex and larger than mine) I probably would have bid them at about a quarter of what she is charging.

The situation just gets uglier and uglier. It is really none of my business and I am only thinking about it because the business of decorative painting is my business.

There is a standard rate range for mural artist and decorative painters and it is important that we all respect this. If you are nationally known, have won awards and have published books of your work then, sure, charge more. Maybe your work is worth it. But, before you charge more make sure the client agrees with you on your work’s worth.

The standard rate for decorative painting is between $300 and $600 dollars a day (yes that is a wide range but there is a wide range of ability levels within the industry). I generally charge about $500 p/d but will employ discounts if appropriate. I also paint fairly quickly so in three days I may accomplish what it would take someone else four or five days. Most of us also charge for sample boards and renderings.. sometimes these prices are just included in the overall cost, sometimes artists choose to itemize extensively. It just depends on the artist.

Fine artists (by that I mean artists who sell work in galleries etc.) have price tags on their work. They can charge whatever they want and the buyer can decide whether or not to pay it. Because of this pricing on this type of art is far more subjective. Decorative painters do not have ‘finished works’ to put price tags on so we have to conform a bit. We are, after all, contractors and we are often bidding against one another.

Especially in a situation where there are other artists working in the same space (who’s prices will be compared to your own) do not grossly over charge.

Never, ever, is it fair to charge a client more just because they can afford it. It is often hard to stomach hearing what people have paid for the drapes or couch after you have only charged a tenth that for your talents. But, the client gets to decide how their money is spent, not you. Maybe your work is worth tens of thousands but the only way you should get that, as an artist, is to let the client decide that your work is valuable. Hang your paintings in a gallery and put prices on them. If your clients have millions in disposable income than they may agree with you and buy your work.

I do not like underbidding my fellow artists (as I have been in the receiving end of bidding comparisons often enough) but if my prices are fair than I can’t feel guilty. I charge my clients what is fair and honorable to charge them. I respect their homes and their money and, as a result, I often get repeat business and referrals. As far as I’m concerned this is the only way to run a successful business.

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The word 'Mural' describes more than you think...

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This mural of the Tuscan countryside is in one of my favorite Denver homes. The curved staircase leads down to the wine cellar and tasting room. The designer’s concept was to have it feel as though the viewer were standing on some exterior stairs outside a Tuscan villa however, the painting needed to remain warm and romantic.

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Bird murals in Denver kitchen. Although these paintings are of birds form around the world it seems a perfect fit in this Colorado home as it incorperates the dark warm wood and a very natural, ‘bringing the outdoors in’ theme.
It always helps when an artist has a high quality canvas and that is just what this kitchen was for me. It was a lovely space and the clients were amazing to work with. Linda wanted something fairly subtle yet colorful that incorporated her favorite little creatures… birds.
I never know whether to label this as mural work or decorative painting… it borders on both…. subtle abstracted vines, fairly literal birds and butterflies and a oil glaze to finish and antique everything a bit.

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