Studio Musings Blog

I met Mike and Marilyn in Melbourne Florida at the Melbourne Art show. They loved my sculptural wall murals, but didn't see a piece that would work for them. We had a short conversation about a potential commission and later that day they invited me over to their home to see what they were thinking.

Marilyn and Mike have recently redone this condo, creating a beautiful, contemporary space overlooking the docks outside. The commissioned mural will be above the couch across from a red accent wall. The wall has a strong presence, so the sculptural wall mural has to stand out, without competing too much.

Armed with photos of their home, a sketch of the design ideas and a full conversation about what they love and the feel they want, I went home and began my work.

The first rendition of the commission is below. I have also added pictures of commission #2. As I tell all my clients, I make 2 pieces for each commission and we collaborate with each piece. In the end, I bring both finished pieces over and in person, Mike & Marilyn will get to select which piece works best in their home. I'll hang that mural on the wall and take the other one with me to my art shows.

Both murals are drying and waiting to be fired in the bisque kiln. Next step they'll go back on the table and we'll discuss colors. Stay Tuned!

Discussions with Mr. H began about 3 years ago; drawings and a commitment were set up in the spring of 2012 and now, after a few delays on both my side & my client's side, the mural is underway.

Mr. H's kitchen back-splash will go below a strong copper hood, just above a professional cooking stove. The mural is designed to have movement and a gentle presence, but not designed to overwhelm or compete with the copper hood. It will be grouted onto the wall and as a result, there will be a smooth coat of a clear glaze on the surface to assure it can be cleaned after a night of cooking.

I sent a drawing, which was adjusted, then approved. I had to account for some changes due to the high back of the stove, which ultimately will cover the bottom row of tiles; to adjust, I raised the whole composition on the left hand side.

Tuesday I did a mishima technique, putting colored clay slip into the recessed areas of the tiles to accent the lines, then scraping the dry slip away so the contrast shows both natural elements and the tile background.

Once bisque fired, the tiles are back on the table and ready for the glaze preparation. I sprayed the background with a soft ochre stain and then put a clear glaze over that. On top of the clear glaze, I added more ochre to create shadows and variation on the surface.

In the meantime, the counter is fired and laid out as it will be in his kitchen. Mr. H. wanted a simple, soft desert yellow on the counter, in the center will be his grill.

The backsplash is out of the kiln and I believe the colors are spot on!
Mr. H will come look at it in person next week.

Many clients come into my gallery and love what they see, but have never considered a sculptural wall mural before. They may also see a smaller piece, but need a bigger size. This is what happened with Dick & Betsy. They are not sure about the work yet...but if they did want one, it would need to be 30" x 72" for behind their couch.

That's where my work begins. I offered to do a 'soft' commission. I'm making the piece with them in mind, but there is no commitment on their part. I'll create the design and do the colors as we discussed....and I'll make 2 of them. No doubt, if they have the need for those colors, so do others. And...if they select one for their home, this leaves me with a second for someone else. That's what I call a 'soft' commission...it's inspired by a conversation but left open.

As it turns out, 2 weeks later, I met another woman in Jacksonville, FL who also loved the same smaller piece, but needs a larger mural. Again, she is interested, but not committed.

And so my 'process' begins. As of today, I have created 2 murals, in the spirit of this smaller mural "View From the Garden at Dusk" and inspired by my Jupiter & Jacksonville conversations. The Dusk View has movement and flow, longer branches reaching high into the background. For the new murals, I took willow branches from a nearby tree, some fern leaves as well as some flowers from neighbor's gardens. The murals are drying and will go in the kiln in a few days. I will create the color and mood in my second firing after putting up to 15 layers of ceramic stains on the surface. Keep an eye out for the next step.

Both Murals are glazed and out of the kiln....you can see the strong red accents and the softer ochre in the background.

Turns out the clients found another piece of art for their home. But at the next show in Texas, Anne & Tim saw my work and fell in love with this piece - so it's on the wall! You never know where an idea will lead. Sometimes the one that planted it will own it, other times they are my muse and the ones who own it are in a city many states away!

I'm excited about this next commission. Judy & Jim, in Houston, TX asked me to make a wall mural for their bedroom in my traditional Saggar Firing technique.

I haven't done one of these in a while, so it's been really exciting to do it. All I needed was a request!

So I made 2 murals, bisque fired the tiles and began the process. Below you can see the steps I took to load the kiln and I have both results already fired.

The mural is 30" w x 50" long to go between their window in the bedroom.

One mural has more pink and grey hues in it; while the second firing has more orange hues.

I traveled to Texas, showed Judy & Jim the two options and she made her selection...Judy's mural is now hanging in her bedroom...and the other one is for sale on my website.

Enjoy!

The final decision was made for the wall mural to go above the vanity in this Texas bathroom.

I made 2 murals, both in the color tones the clients wanted. One mural was on the lighter, softer side, while the other one I went into deeper tones of the same colors. This mural was designed to compliment this newly renovated bathroom, so the one selected is the softer mural. It makes perfect sense, the mural will blend beautifully with this stunning stained glass heron window.

Here are some pics.

Thanks Russ & Christine...for taking the ride with me!

I'll install the mural in a few weeks and then add that picture.