FLAT MAGIC MURALS specializing in true trompe l'oeil
Portfolio Page Two
"Ocean View Window"
Residential Mural 4.5 x 6.5 ft.Private Estate California
A windowless kitchenette adjacent to the main catering kitchen now has the best view on the property, courtesy of a trompe l'oeil mural. Highly detailed "close-up magic" quality level can be viewed from inches away and not lose its realistic imagery. The painted marble surround matches the trim seen throughout the house. I shadowed the outlet cover to enhance the illusion.
--Stephen Price
Wine Cellar Ceiling 332 sq ft
Private Residence Cambria, California
Painted wood beams, mahogany paneling, sky dome and inlaid panels with grape motifs. Everything on the ceiling is painted except the lamps. Four different grape varieties are painted in each corner of the inset panels that surround the sky dome. The mahogany was particularly fun to paint. A little more color than I often use in the clouds, but this client loves saturated sunset colors. Painting a ceiling is extremely physically demanding--I wore the cervical collar to give my head something to rest on.
--Stephen Price
"Old Mozzi's Jail" 192 sq ft
Commercial Mural Cambria, California
This was a fun project. A historic watering hole (c. 1866) was remodeled from the ground up and the new owner asked me to paint the men's room to resemble an Old West jail cell, to 'discourage illegal activity' in the w.c. The woodwork, door and fixtures were transformed into rusty metal. I used half-round dowels for the vertical bars but painted the horizontal ones onto the wall. My favorite little touch is the trompe l'oeil water leak in the sewer pipe (not pictured). People keep reporting it.
--Stephen Price
"The Mystic Bathroom" 288 sq ft
Residential Mural Room Cambria, California
Photo-luminescent paint was used in this full-room mural environment to give two distinct looks to the 'ancient stone temple' requested by the client for the guest powder room in this award-winning home. Black lights reveal the alternate view--the starry night skies silhouetting Stonehenge. The Vetruvian man above the sink becomes a woman under black light, with the acupuncture points illuminated. The owner's mystical library contributed the titles to the bookcase below the bathtub. The baseboard is shadowed, providing a very convincing illusion of reality.
This home has been featured on several home tours and in many magazine articles. Strangers show up on the doorstep and ask to see the bathroom with some regularity. Luckily the owner loves to share this special room. Two large trees fell on the residence during a terrible wind storm a couple of winters ago, demolishing the kitchen and part of the living room. The mural was undamaged, and after an extensive remodel and artistic expansion, the home is even more wonderful than before.
--Stephen PriceThis home has been featured on several home tours and in many magazine articles. Strangers show up on the doorstep and ask to see the bathroom with some regularity. Luckily the owner loves to share this special room. Two large trees fell on the residence during a terrible wind storm a couple of winters ago, demolishing the kitchen and part of the living room. The mural was undamaged, and after an extensive remodel and artistic expansion, the home is even more wonderful than before.
"Stone Stairwell" 265 sq ft
Residential Commission Cambria, California
A spiraling stairwell leads down to a wine cellar in this estate home. The stonework matches the masonry on the property. This mural basically consists of 250 separate trompe l'oeil paintings, each one unique. I've learned that the variety of rocks is quite infinite!
--Stephen Price