Grapevine Embellishment Over Arched Door
Grapevines close-up
One sunny afternoon I was designing a new note card when I received a call from a client who had purchased a loft in a downtown Denver sky rise. He had no idea what subject matter he wanted, just something painted over the arched entry door to the wine cellar.
Although the expansive loft had no furnishings, at that time, the floors, walls and contemporary cabinetry were finished. The views of the city were spectacular. Based solely on the style of cabinets and moldings and having no fabric samples it was risky to choose colors with so little to go on but my client wanted it finished in about four days so my gut feelings would have to suffice. I had painted another home for him so he trusted I would come up with the right look.
The ten foot ceilings were accented by deep mahogany crown molding ten inches wide which had a smooth, graceful profile. The massive ceilings and room sizes warranted an over-sized design. One and one half inch grapes and large eight inch leaves would add a ton of character to the area. My sense was that stylized grapevines would suit the area better than something realistic/traditional.
Arched Wine Cellar Door
Seldom do I use opaque colors on walls, except to afford me a white background for my painting elements. Over the years I have found that working in four to ten translucent layers of color offers much more depth to the design. These walls were light enough that I didn’t need to base coat with white. This also saved an enormous amount of time.
Bumble Bee on Grape leaf
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