Recently in Murals Trompe Faux Category

David Hockney made a mural at the bottom of the pool of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel that graced the guests as they were enjoying the wonderful outdoor climate, swimming, and gazing out at the water. The mural became known throughout the town and many tourists would come to the hotel just to see the enormous pattern of blue gestural curves that had a strong visual impact from any vantage point. There was always a possibility to catch a glimpse of a Hollywood "A- lister" enjoying the comfortable environment along with the guests.

Over time, the paint has been deteriorated by the chemicals of the water and the constant contact of the guests rubbing up against the floor and walls. The vibrant blue marks went from being the focal point of the view to being minor stains at the bottom of the pool. They just made the pool look dirty and took away from the vibrancy of the water.

The artists of iLia Anossov Design (iLAdesigns.com) have become the saviors of many historical murals all around Los Angeles. Amongst other high profile projects they have worked on an extensive restoration project on the Park Plaza Hotel. The Park Plaza had come to a point where the murals painted directly on plaster (a form of secco fresco) were falling apart and the highly detailed designs were not even visible. The decorations were not only losing their beauty, they were actually fading away completely affecting the overall impression of the hotel.

Strother Martin Monument 1972, artist Kent Twitchell
photo by Ruth Wallach

Reading through some of the blogs responding to the LA Times story I see that there is still some misunderstanding about the graffiti issue. I only oppose spray paint when it is used to cover over murals or other public art. That is called vandalism and that alone is the reason "we cannot coexist" as I was correctly quoted as saying in the Times. It is the reason LA is no longer the mural capital. Once there were 2 - 3 thousand murals here and every one has been destroyed by spray paint. Either they were painted out because the vandalism became such a blight or they are still out there covered with spray paint and therefore just waiting to be coated over with beige paint.

Spray paint on murals has caused a slow redefinition of the exterior mural,
once an oasis in Los Angeles. Now many people see murals as ugly when actually it is the vandalism that is ugly. I'm not against artists who use spray paint in their work. I used it myself during 1962-63, but every muralist I know is demoralized by all of their works being destroyed by the stuff.

-Sheldon Mak Rose & Anderson spearheads settlement vindicating artists' rights

Pasadena, CA - Renowned artist and muralist Kent Twitchell, faculty member of the Fresco School, has settled his lawsuit against the U.S. Government and 12 other defendants for painting over his 70-foot tall landmark mural of Ed Ruscha, an important Los Angeles-based Pop artist. The settlement amount $1.1 million is believed to be the largest settlement ever under the seldom-invoked Federal Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) or the California Art Preservation Act (CAPA). VARA and CAPA forbid desecration, alteration, or destruction of certain public works of art without prior notice to the artist to allow for removal. The U.S. Government is contributing $250,000 to the settlement amount. William Brutocao, with the intellectual property law firm Sheldon Mak Rose & Anderson PC, served as Mr. Twitchell's lead trial attorney in this complex and legally-challenging case.

'This settlement sets an important precedent which will benefit other artists,' said Mr. Twitchell. 'This resolution makes it clear that when it comes to public art, you have to respect the artist's rights, or incur significant liability.' Both an artist and muralist, Mr. Twitchell is recognized for his larger-than-life realist mural portraits, often of celebrities and artists.

For the Fresco School, June 2007 came with exciting event - release of hard cover edition of "The House That Faux Built", which includes a reproduction of the "Dolphin Fresco" by Fresco School's founder and head instructor, iLia Anossov.

Dolphin Fresco was painted using classic Buon (true) Fresco Technique. In true fresco the artist must start applying his colors on the wet (or fresco) intonaco as soon as it has been prepared and laid on the wall. When it dries and hardens, the colors become one with plaster. Technically speaking the plaster does not 'dry' but rather a chemical reaction occurs in which calcium carbonate is formed as a result of carbon dioxide from the air combining with the calcium hydrate in the wet plaster.

FrescoSchool offers variety of workshops and programs on traditional fresco painting technique.

About "The House That Faux Built":
Transform Your Home Using Paints, Plasters & Creativity

100 top artists from across the U.S., England and France participated!
Together they transformed the rooms of a 1940s colonial fi xer-upper in Metro DC
and an inner-city Chicago church into incredible works of art.
The Artist's version of 'We are the World,' This amazing
project-turned-book has a dual purpose:
- Raise money to house Katrina victims.
- Showcase the cutting edge in painting/plaster home make-overs.
(Includes the latest in green paint products and techniques.)
The House that Faux Built captures the project in over 500 full color
photos. It is being snapped up by homeowners, DIYers, realtors and
designers eager to see the latest in faux and home transformations.

There are several events and expos available out there, each with its own purpose, and each with similar things to offer; a chance to play with products, hands on demonstrations, and expositions to meet and talk with vendors in the industry. The Fauxcademy of Decorative Finishing supports many of these functions as established and worthwhile events (SALI, PACE, PDRA, and World of Concrete), which is one reason why The Fauxcademy (R) is held only once every two years. These other events offer consistent annual programs and deliver value for your business dollar.

I LA Designs, under the direction of Ilia Anossov, has recently completed a new fresco in a private home in Marina Del Rey. This is one of many recent fresco projects that I LA Designs has been commissioned to complete. The increase in demand for their expertise in the fresco technique speaks to a rebirth of interest among the public for this ancient form of art. Through their use of innovative and traditional techniques, I LA Designs has found themselves at the forefront of contemporary fresco production. The fresco in Marina Del Rey is another fine example of their skill.

The first few months of this year has been extremely busy for the artists of I LA designs. Not only were they responsible for the decoration of this years Governors Ball, but they were involved, simultaneously, in an extensive renovation project on the Park Plaza Hotel located in downtown Los Angeles. The building had aged well, yet there were many areas that had begun to deteriorate. In many places, the intricately painted ceilings had begun to crack and chip. In others, the painted plaster of the wall had been scraped; exposing chalky white streaks. In this restoration project I LA Designs drew upon their extensive experience in faux finishing, fresco & mural painting, and plaster work.

Among many benefits, experience with Buon Fresco technique provides artist with better understanding of the planning, organisation and production of the large art commission especially when the project has to be completed in stages or sections, as well as when the scale of the project requires the team of artists.

The Governors Ball for the 76th Annual Academy Awards (R) occurred over a month ago. For I LA Design Services (iLAdesigns.com) & Fresco School (FrescoSchool.com) this is not an event easily forgotten. For over three months the interior decoration of the Governor?s Ball has been the sole priority of this Los Angeles based art firm. Whether it was the creation of over 27,000 sq. feet of hand painted "trompe fresco" decor lining the ceiling, or the large handpainted in verdaccio grizaille mural depicting orchid in bloom, the time spent and their dedication to this project was unparalelled.

This Spring and Summer our classes in Los Angeles Will be held at the following dates:

May 13th, Fri. - 17th, Mon
June 3rd, Fri. - 7th, Mon
June 17th, Fri. - 21st, Mon

These courses consist of up to five days of intensive instruction where you will learn how to create true (buon) fresco as artists have done for centuries. At the end of June we are scheduled to go to the Fauxcadamy Awards in Las Vegas to hold a "Fresco Painting - Contemporary Tradition" demonstration, seminar/lecture, and to judge the Awards' entries. Soon after the conclusion of these events we will begin a large scale fresco project in a church in Baltimore. These events will unfortunately keep our regular workshops schedule unclear for the rest of the summer and fall. Unfortunately, we will be able to enroll only 20 people for this set of classes - it is our policy to deliver the maximum undivided attention to each by keeping our workshops within 5-7 artists per class.

Workshop configurations consist of 1 to 5 day classes:
To enroll and/or learn more - click here
To see and hear via downloadable video interviews what others have to say about our program - use this link.

or start at our Fresco Workshop's home page http://FrescoSchool.com

This is the question that I encounter the most. The story of fresco painting began over 35,000 years ago in the caves of modern France where the Neolithic man applied natural earth pigments to the moist limestone walls of his cave to illustrate his life and beliefs. Of cause Neolithic man did not call his paintings frescoes. So as every civilization there after had own name for the technique used for the magnificent wall paintings found in it's most treasured environments, temples, public spaces and homes - the only technique that allows us to see those masterpieces thousands of years after they were created. Through the years this technique has been refined and now we know it as Buon (true) Fresco.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Los Angeles--Beginning on July 21st restoration teams will set to work on a selection of the top, high visibility, graffiti-marred murals located on L.A. freeways. Recognizing that the approximately 2,500 art murals now gracing Los Angeles freeways, public surfaces and the exterior and interior of numerous privately-owned buildings are a significant cultural asset, a coalition of State, City and private organizations are taking these crucial and unprecedented steps to eventually protect and restore more than 40 of these works of art on the freeways of Los Angeles from the corrosive effects of weather, air pollution and, most importantly, an unprecedented wave of graffiti vandalism. 'These murals -- from the late Terry Schoonhoven's downtown 'Cityscape' to Michelle Obregon's 'Underwater Fantasy' in the San Fernando Valley -- represent a broad range of artistic styles and subjects,' said Bill Lasarow, President of the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles (MCLA) and editor and publisher of ArtScene magazine. 'They are important and valuable works of art and we need to them in full recognition of their cultural and aesthetic importance, not to mention their worth as publicly owned assets and their economic impact on the tourist industry.'