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I received a couple of inquiries about the Point Loma project I did with Chism Brothers Painting that I described as both "trompe l'oeil" and "faux stone" and what the difference is between trompe l'oeil painting and faux finishing and how one project could be both. So here's a clarification (I hope):
Typically, "faux finish" describes the process of making a surface look like something it really isn't using paint, stain and the like. There are several examples of this in the painted finishessection of my portfolio site www.john-scenic.com, but the most recent and convenient example is in my last post about the Olivenhain project I did with Chism Brothers.
One of the finishes for that project was done on the baseboards and mouldings surrounding the windows and doors in the family room. Using a five step process, I painted these paint-grade white mouldings to look like the honey colored wood used on the fireplace mantel and crown mouldings.
In this picture, the crown moulding at the ceiling is real wood with a honey colored stain. The mouldings around the windows were originally painted white, and I painted them to look like the same wood as the crown. This is a "faux finish": the mouldings are real, but they are painted to look like something (stained hardwood) they really are not.
"Trompe l'oeil" is a French expression that translates as "to fool the eye", and while a faux finish like the one above fools the eye, "trompe l'oeil" is typically reserved for painting that convinces the viewer that something is there that really is not there, like a window or doorway drawn in accurate perspective so that it seems three dimensional. The accuracy of the drawing and the faithfulness of the painting to how the subject matter would look in reality is critical to being "trompe l'oeil" rather than merely decorative painting.
Here is an example of architectural trompe l'oeil from the custom murals section of my site.
The window is "built" like the real windows in the rest of the room, i.e., with the same proportions, same mouldings, etc. but it is drawn and painted on a wall that has no real window. The "view" mimics the real trees, fence, etc. that are outside the house and that you would see if the window was real. And it is drawn in a mechanically accurate perspective, so that it appears to the eye three dimensionally just as it would if it were really there.
Getting back to the Point Loma project then, I use both terms to describe that finish because I used both techniques to create the stone blocks on a blank wall.
Each block was measured and taped off and made to look like stone with paint, i.e., "faux painted". Then highlight and shadows were painted to correlate to how the blocks would look in the light of the room (both natural (daytime) & artificial (at night)) if they were three dimensional, in this case, with a 1/4" bevel on all four sides of each block. This is the "trompe l'oeil" component: look again at the picture and remember that the light fixture is mounted to a wall that is completely flat in reality. The stone blocks you see are rendered entirely in paint, both the stone texture (faux) and the three dimensional block (trompe l'oeil).
The Olivenhain project I just worked on with Chism Brothers Painting wasn't the same kind of collaboration as our Point Loma faux stone project, but I was reminded once again how nice it is to work with fellow professionals who have the same eye and understanding for detail.
Project manager James Becker and his crew prepared the family room where I did a suite of painted faux finishes on the walls and mouldings (as well as a large freestanding cabinet), and I was near ecstatic that they took the time to properly caulk all the gaps between wall and moulding, thoroughly prime and paint so that my finishes came out clean and even from edge to edge.
Its an old saying that a great paint job is 80% preparation, but it is especially true when it comes to faux finish painting. As an experienced licensed painting contractor, I can do all of this prep work myself, and in past jobs I have done most of it so it would be done to my specifications-- even when working with other painting contractors, I've run into hassles where someone else's standards are not up to mine, and what someone else calls "ready" I call "insufficient".
Now if you have never worked with glazed finishes (the basis of most "faux" finishes), you wouldn't have the same need for the same level of preparation. I teach this to all of my beginners at the San Diego Finishing School, because insufficient prep can ruin the most perfect faux finishing technique, especially at the edges (where one surface/finish stops and another begins). The edge is always where a faux finish gives up the power of its illusion if not done right-- I liken it to the follow through of your golf or tennis swing. Imagine how frustrating it is to follow through properly (after years of practice!) only to have your work fall short because of poor preparation that someone else was paid to take care of for you. It has happened to me more than once, which is why for a period of time, I did all my own prep.
But if you have ever investigated hiring a quality faux finish artist, you know we're not cheap, and in terms of business, it is difficult sometimes to explain to a client why they're paying top dollar for what appears to be entry level work. Which brings me back to why I am so happy to have established a professional relationship with Chism Brothers Painting. While they aren't cheap either, they are more cost effective when it comes to preparatory work than I am and they do it as well (or better) than I do because they understand why it is important and necessary to do it right the first time. Which means that our clients get the best value available in San Diego when it comes to truly artistic custom painting and faux finishing, from the very beginning of a job through to the very end.
Its been a busy winter of production since I last updated this blog, with a couple of excellent faux finish projects recently completed in addition to new painting students at the San Diego Finishing School, new working alliances with some fellow San Diego custom painting contractors-- there's been so much going on I haven't had time to write.
So I'm going to get caught up a little this month while people get interested in this year's Artwalk here in San Diego's Little Italy, usually the beginning of my "season" for meeting new people, showing new work, and seeking out new opportunities.
This year I'm not sure what art to show or how much portfolio of recent custom mural & faux finish painting to display, and I would also like to share some of what's been going on with the first class of students at the San Diego Finishing School, though technically I'm supposed to be showing and selling my fine art only, which leads me to the idea of doing prints (for the first time) of one of my fine art paintings, so as to have more accessible prices for the Artwalk audience....
This at least gives me a good place to start then with the new work. This is one of the new paintngs I'm developing with my agent, Tom Pergola, entitled "Firenze #2". The original is 30" wide x 40" tall, painted in acrylic on canvas. You can see the full size image on the fine art page of my portfolio site, john-scenic.com
(Tom is only representing my fine art; if you are interested in commissioning a custom mural project or set of unique faux finishes, please contact me directly.)
This paintng is part of a series based on the last twenty years of rigorous investigation into light, shade and shadow as the revealers of form, and rooted in my aesthetic homeland of (and travels in) Italy. Its also the first painting I think might make a quality image in reproduction (i.e., giclee, lithograph, etc.)
I would welcome any opinions (pro or con) about making prints of this, or any comments or opinions about printmaking in general. Please e-mail me directly at muralssandiego@john-scenic.com if you have something to contribute; I'm always very grateful for your honest opinions.
