The Magic of Murals
Published in New Hampshire Magazine
MURALS ARE A STORYBOOK
By Diane Kelley
Up to 11,000 years old, early murals showed the establishment of order to the world. They can be a dreamy, historic or geographic illustrations of a place in time, or a place in our minds. Murals can be as fanciful as a painting of fairy tale figures waltzing on a nursery room wall, or complex enough to create a lively debate over brandy among friends in the sitting room, pondering who, why and where the story in the mural exists.
The very personal story these murals tell, is what artist Judy Dibble of Brookwood Designs loves the most. Judy's daugher Amanda Dibble is her artistic partner offering different, yet complementary skills. "Whatever someone imagines, our brushes can produce." The excitement grows as they work closely with their clients to bring to life a favorite memory, or location, or record family history.
This Italian scene embodies these creative possibilities. The mural was a Christmas gift from a client to her husband. It depicts his home village in the Tuscan valley where he grew up. His son stands on a replica of his mother's balcony; there is a picture of his father, as well as a wine bottle representing the family vineyards.
Murals can accomplish a myriad of feats. They can be decorative, they can hide a multitude of sins in imperfect walls, or they can create an illusion that really isn't there.
In this tiny 30 inch by 7 foot space, the windows are expanded where none exist to include a view of an English Country garden so realistic, you can almost smell the flowers. "Your mind opens up the space and makes it large." Judy said.
Employing faux finish techniques creates a two-dimentional paint effect which imitates another material like wood, stone or plaster. The trompe l'eil (fool the eye) technique creates the three-dimensional realism. Used together, these techniques allow muralists to create the mirage of your choice making it easy to overcome many architectural and decorative challenges. "Murals are decorating tools that are both creative as well as practical." Judy said.
Porteresque Mural, Piedmont, NH
by David B. Wiggins
While every picture tells a story, artist David B. Wiggins has a story to tell. Painting murals for over 40 years, he follows a New England tradition of the old masters that existed in the 19th Century. He is part of a definitive group of itinerate folk artists who travel and live in peoples homes while crafting their murals.
A self-taught artist, David tried his hand restoring vintage murals not willing to watch them be destroyed, cast aside like yesterday's news. To create the distressed patina, he masterfully experiments with every medium from milk paint to burlap, achieving the desired color, finish and texture. Mr. Wiggins noted, "The most important thing to my clients is that the mural looks like its been there for a long time."
His murals embrace the walls, defining the space with simple decorative scenes using a soothing, limited color palate. He works in collaboration with other artists, each of whom has their speciality. They approach their projects like improvisational jazz musicians in a jam session. While many murals are exremely planned, David's work is not. Completely extemporaneous, he goes straight to the wall and paints. He just feels it, his images flow almost effortlessly from his brush. Mr. Wiggins is a savant, a natural talent whose craft preserves a bygone era, bringing new life to this age old art form.
This mural was discovered in 1854 under four layers of wallpaper. Though the artist of this painting is unkown, it is believed to have been applied around 1760. In the Warner family hisory, it is thought that one child descending the staircase saw a tear in the wallpaper and gave it a pull revealing the horses hoof. Imagine the excitement of this discovery, like opening a time capsule!
If you've always dreamed of marble pillars surrounding your Jacuzzi, paint techniques can create this mirage without all of the heavy lifting. Few decorative mediums can accomplish this drama for such a relatively low cost. For those who think murals are cost prohibitive particularly because you can't move the investment with you, bear in mind that murals can be painted on canvas, applied to the wall, removed and hung elsewhere at a later time. Paint is the medium that allows skillful artisans to create these amazing illusions rendered by their brush work. These timeless art forms are a pleasure for those lucky enough to enjoy now, and in the future.
The Warner House in Portsmouth, NH is the earliest extant brick urban manion in New England.
