From Concept to Reality

I always had the idea that I wanted to have unique elements in my studio, elements that inspired me every day and elements that reflected my passion in life as an interior designer in Victoria B.C. Something that set me apart from my colleagues and something that also represents my personal taste in the environment where I work.

When I was planing the new studio for Meade Design Group I had this wall that needed something really special, because it is the wall closest to my desk area and it is the only wall that you can see from the street. I went through an infinite amount of wallpaper books trying to find something cool but nothing was speaking to me.

I have always loved horses, their energy and their beauty are so strong and dynamic and I also have always had a passion for the printmaking techniques (engravings, lithographies, serigraphs, mono prints, mono types, etc). One day I thought a horse etching would look amazing on that wall. The idea to conceive this mural or the concept was far from reality - I found a wall paper from Fronasetti that was close to my vision but still lacking what I was looking for.

One day Michelle from Wolfe Decorative Arts came by my studio to introduce a sample of their work. Faux finishes, plaster finishes, gold and silver leaf applications, even concrete-like finishes. All sorts of those old world products that we are losing every day. I was really impressed with their quality and a thought came to mind. I asked Michelle, do you think you could make a blown up version of a horse etching in one of my walls. Her answer was "YES" we do everything and we do it well. I thought that is a confident woman and proud of her work. So I told her well, I have this concept and idea in my mind. I showed her a book I had with horse etchings from the XVI century. She said - Yes, definitely. Well I said I would love to see a sample proof before. After all it was the first time I met her. Michele asked me to photocopy the etching and a week later I got a sample and I was so impressed. It looked beautiful. I had to say let's do it.

Today with this entry you can see that you can always bring a concept to reality. Maybe you have to wait for the right team but, If you find it you can definitely create something really special.

John Wolfe was the master painter that did my mural and in the photos below you can see the process. John made the mural on a really large canvas that he prepared and painted with the exact color of my walls and he was used the same black I used to paint my doors as the image colour. He patiently painted the horse line by line to achieve the etching look.

In this picture you can see the mural and the photocopy of the old engraving I gave them as my idea.

Here you can see John painting and doing his magic in the mural - You can really see the size of the mural relating to his size. The mural took him almost a month from initial sketching to completion. You can also see in the left bottom corner the sample he did initially for me to see.

Installation Day - The mural was being applied just like wall paper, it was also cut and trimmed in place to fit my walls perfectly.

Here is the end result. I wish the printer was not on my office storage unit but unfortunately we need it for our everyday work.

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