On the curved ceiling above a two stories stairway tower, the main entrance lobby of this Mediterranean revival mansion, we had to paint a scene that would provide a new sense of height and light, and surprise the guests.

Before:

(view up, from the first floor)
There was an uninspired  baroque stenciled job,  painted in 1990.

Artists Frederic Lere and Pierre Marcel detected that the new owner liked gardening and collecting Italian artifacts. A number of interesting architectural  features in the house  were later picked up in the mural.

See other frieze motifs

The client’s contractor  installed a wooden platform  and ventilation. We repaired the plaster work, primed and then painted our mural, starting from a simple watercolor sketch and adding new features as we went along, working with the client. The diameter was 14 feet.  A 3 foot border painted all around (trompe-l’oeuil of brackets and  low-relief frieze) extended the mural down to the wall. We completed the project in three weeks.  

The models for the vasques are from the actual garden. The red and black marble motifs are a take from the new floor. The shape of the balustrade are copied and interpreted from architectural details of the house as well as the low relief Art Deco frieze.

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To contact Pierre Marcel, click here