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When magicians fools us with sleights of hand it's called magic.  When artists practice magic it's call trompe l'oeil.

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San Antonio Express-News

From Blah to AHHHHHH

A plain white wall doesn't cut it anymore.  How drab. How quaint.

Instead of stark white walls, America's homes are awash in ancient stucco, Corinthian columns, delicate ivy and broad vistas of rolling countryside.  And it'll all thanks to paint.

Whether you're sponging, marbling, ragging or painting the likeness of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel inside your home, a white wall is a canvas waiting to be transformed into something grand.

Homeowners and interior designers use decorative paint techniques and faux finishing or trompe l'oeil (French for "fool the eye") for a variety of reasons.  Faux art can hide flaws or distractions such as pipes along a ceiling, bring the outdoors inside or create an intimate setting in today's cavernous interiors.  It also allows homeowners to amplify their design styles.

Barbie Hawkrider, who lives in the Rogers Ranch subdivision, did just that.  An admirer of Italian styling, she took her love one step further by hiring a faus art painter to add Mediterranean touches to her home.  From the painted grapes that hang gently in her kitchen to the striking columns that lead to the master bedroom, a visitor feels like asking the hostess to pass the focaccia.

In the foyer, cherubs peer down from the ceiling.

"There was nothing really dramatic in the foyer, so I decided to go up.  I love angels and have them throughout the house.  Parents of my children's friends come over and say, "We heard you have the Sistine Chapel painted in here.'" she said laughing.

Artist Louise Ann Raimondi painted likenesses of Harkrider's children on the faces of two of the angels.  Employing a style that isn't completely realistic, Raimondi uses broad, open brush strokes, creating movement within her murals.

She considers the needs of the homeowner and applies her artistic talent to hide design flaws.  In Harkdrider's home, with it soaring ceiling and open design, Raimondi and the homeowner collaborated to camouflage where two rooms with different colored paint collided.  Now, a large column separates the areas and masks the once-distracting color clash.

Harkrider said the faux additions on her walls and ceilings have personalized the space and added interesting nuances beyond furnishings and window treatments.

The limitless possibilities of faux art and its personalizing effects the home in today's era of families are exactly what makes it so exciting.  Home becomes a familiar refuge versus an impersonal box.

Antiquing and ragging can lift a home out of suburbia, giving punch to otherwise drab rooms.  In large open spaces, such as adjoining kitchens, family rooms and dining areas, decorative painting breaks the monotony of large walls and creates separation.  It also can add architectural intricacies to rooms devoid of detail.

Faux painting also can make a home appear from another era.  Interior designer Alicia James, licensed interior designer and owner of James and Co. Interior Design, said faux art can give a relatively new home and Old World feel.

"I especially believe that it takes you back to another era." and gives your home a patina, she said.  "Faux art makes your home unique to who you are and give your home a special look that no one else has."

Getting that special look takes planning.  Those without the time or the do-it-yourself inclination can hire an artist.  View work at home shows and get recommendations from interior designers and friends or family who have had work done.

Those ready to wield a paintbrush can find information in books and on the internet paint stores and home centers also offer classes and demonstrations.

Home Depot employee Juan Guerra encouraged students in a recent class at his store.

"There is no wrong or right way to do it (faux painting). If you like it, it's right.  If you made a mistake, paint over it!"

At Vigini Studios, students can learn Old World techniques of fresco and faux painting in two to 10-day courses.  Led by artists Nicola and Leslie Vigini, the classes offer hands-on training in everything from faux clouds and marbling to full-fledges murals.

Italian-born and trained European, Nicola Vigini himself paints frescos and murals for an exclusive clientele, but offers the school for beginners and more accomplished artists wanting to become professional faux painters.

"We can take the beginning painter and teach them a variety of techniques.  From there, Leslie also teaches a business class so they learn about materials cost and what to charge if they chose to do this professionally." Vigini said.  "This is an art, but is also a profession.

Their classes teach simpler techniques such as making a wall look like aged leather or plaster.  More advanced classes include turning ordinary wood into burled oak through wood graining techniques or learning how to create intricate marble effects.

Vigini Studios will be host of the International Conference of Decorative Painters Salon at the downtown studio May 10-12.  The gathering of faux finishers and decorative artists will include private showings at the atelier and public exhibits at the Southwest School of Art & Craft.  Artists, selected for participation by a committee, will demonstrate techniques during the three-day event which also includes private lectures.

The faux finishing business is booming in the home and beyond.  Vigini notes.  Airplane and yacht interiors are proving fertile ground for faux wood grain and commercial establishments also are sprucing up with decorative artistry and faux finishes.

The Limestone Grille in Boerne displays rolling ivy with flowers along its cafe walls, painted by Amanda Chacon, who also works at the inn.  Owner Elisa McClure said faux art mad sense in her Hill Country establishment.

"I really wanted to bring the outdoors in, and that wall seems to do that," she said.

With more homeowners wanting such artistic expression in their houses, the white wall just might face extinction.

Know before you faux

If you're considering faux finishing or decorative painting for your home, consider these tips before several hundred dollars later you find the cherubs you planned sadly resembling harpies.

• Many older homes have sprayed-on acoustic texture on ceilings.  Unless you want to spend hours scraping it off and vacuuming up the dust, stick to the walls.

• Consider the existing texture on the walls when planning your project, too.  Heavy textures will affect the outcome.

• Plan your project carefully.  You don't want to over-faux the room so it causes a headache with a dizzying array of lines and textures.

• Whatever you paint you must leave behind.  Keep in mind when you decide to spend serious money that you masterpiece may be the next owner's eyesore, and those lovely artworks may be painted over.  For costlier murals, it might be more practical to have the art put on canvas so you can take it with you.

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