Q Why do people hire you to paint murals in their homes?
A For many different reasons. They want to wake up a space, add elegance or solve design issues. To make a room feel larger and more spacious, I can paint a landscape with a lot of visible sky and a horizon to give a feeling of depth. To raise a low ceiling, I've done everything from graceful bamboo trees, to vines and even curtains with vertical stripes painted on walls.
Q Are some of your murals examples of trompe l'oeil?
A Yes, some include trompe l'oeil elements such as the illusion of a path that extends from the floor of the room outward into a landscape. It can give the feeling of expanding space.
Q What was an especially unusual request?
A I painted a countryside landscape with kestrels directly on the glass doors of a disabled elevator shaft. It was in the client's home when she bought it. It was a nice challenge for me.
Q How do you choose the colors for your paintings?
A I base colors on what the client asks for and on what's existing in the house in the rugs, furniture and drapes. If the house has a lot of blue tones [for example], I will incorporate them in flowers, in water and the sky -- wherever logically makes sense.
