Trompe L'Oeil, Murals, Faux Finishes and Hand Painted Furniture by Art Effects...
a Florida based Mural company.(Polk County, Lakeland, Florida)
You can also find us at  USmurals.com

Trompe L'Oeil by Art Effects...
Trompe l'oeil murals are paintings that create an illusion that fool or trick the eye.

Art Effects' greek window Trompe l'oeil Mural
Art Effects' greek window Trompe l'oeil Mural

Trompe L'Oeil

Celebration Florida Mural
trompe l'oeil adj : creating the illusion of seeing reality;   "the visual deception of trompe l'oeil art"
[syn: eye-deceiving, trompe l'oeil(a)] (Trompe-l'œil),
Can you be tricked by our trompe?
 

trompe l'oeil dome mural with urn
 
 
 

Trompe L'Oeil Murals and Art Effects

Throughout this web site you will see murals with trompe l'oeil effects painted using faux finishes to create an illusion that fools or tricks the eye.
Trompe L'Oeil...the name given to the style of painting which achieves the sense of being three dimensional. In other words the painted object is suppose to "trick" the viewer into believing the object is actually real. From the french word Trompe L'Oeil, pronounced "trum ploy" its meaning translates "to deceive the eye", literally...
"to trick the eye" or "to fool the eye".
What you see is not always what you get.
Maybe trompe l'oeil can be considered the decorative artist's ultimate gag or trick, and trompe l'oeil artists perform these tricks with paint.

Along with techniques in faux finishing, Art Effects uses skills in trompe l'oeil to create imaginative wall murals in the decorative arts. Although most of our painted murals and artwork containing trompe l'oeil are very realistic, realism is not always necessary for a mural or piece of art to accomplish "The Trick". In trompe l'oeil the viewer must only be deceived or tricked for a moment.

Trompe L'Oeil..."To Fool or Trick The Eye"

 
trompe l'oeil dartboard    trompe l'oeil dartboard
 
As in our "trompe l'oeil dart board" for example, one might notice the dart board is actually painted, disregarding the dart stuck in the wall. Once the trick is realized and the viewer figures out the dart is painted also, something so simple becomes entertaining. In other words the instant the deception or trick is realized actually becomes more of an impact than the artwork itself. This is what makes a painting, a trompe l'oeil...the trick and deception, the moment the viewer is fooled.

A Little History on Trompe L'Oeil

History shows that the Art of Trompe l'oeil Painting has been used for over two thousand years and as a painting style dates back to 400 B. C. Although ancient trompe l'oeil works are lost, descriptions of these paintings have been passed down through history. Today the earliest murals of trompe l'oeil art that exist can be found in the ruins of Pompeii and Eurculaneum and have been dated back to the first century A.D. After becoming part of the rich culture of the Greek and Roman Empires, trompe l'oeil art all but disappeared during the Dark Ages, not to resurface until the Renaissance and Baroque eras. After the discovery of perspective in the fifteenth-century, the trompe l'oeil style in mural painting flourished. Trompe l'oeil artists used these techniques in perspective to create false openings like doors and windows. In Europe this form of three dimensional art on a two-dimensional surface was used extensively by the wealthy and clergy. Churches and grand cathedrals became a common place for trompe l'oeil paintings to be used, giving these houses of worship the appropriate splendor they deserved. The walls and ceilings of palaces, villas and homes of the rich were decorated by artists and muralist with trompe l'oeil paintings, opening the rooms to a grander scale. Trompe l'oeil architectural elements, like columns, pillars and arches were painted adding to the richness and sophistication of their interiors.
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Can you be Tricked with our Trompe L'Oeil???

Art Effects' trompe l'oeil...The Poster Trompe l'oeil Answer trompe l'oeil dartboard Pictures and Posters

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Upcoming
Trompe L'Oeil Class

Decorative Painter Sean Crosby teaches a one-day full-on Panel where students will complete a stone background with a trompe l'oeil border in class as they learn about light, shade and shadow. Emphasis will be on striping and molding for this portion.

Then, time-permitting, students will add a paper note to the panel that is similar to the one shown above. Class cost is at only $150/stdnt with materials included!

Paint Factory Orlando will host at:
4105B SW 34th St
Orlando, FL 32811
877-TIME.2.BY
on the 22nd of May, 2010!
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Tips on Painting
Trompe L'Oeil

In order for a trompe l'oeil painting to make the illusion believable and accomplish the trick, some basic rules have to be followed. The first concerning perspective...
trompe l'oeil depends on your perspective, which means trompes can only be viewed form one position in order to accomplish the desired effect. If the viewer moves, the trompe l'oeil painting becomes distorted. Also when painting trompe l'oeil objects within your mural make sure that they are completely contained within your paintings' borders or extend outside the mural onto the wall ( painting trompe l'oeil outside it's borders) If something is partially portrayed or cut off it will immediately give the subject away as a painting and will not trick or fool someone into believing it is real. Remember you do want the trompe l'oeil to eventually be recognized as a painting, but you do need a little time to accomplish the trick. Some of the easiest things to help in completing your trompe l'oeil painting are:
  • Notice the lighting of the room, make sure your shadows,
    shading and lighting in the piece of art match
    the light sources in the room.
  • Make sure the objects you are painting will not be out of place
    in their surroundings
  • Play close attention to their size, they need
    to be life size or at least sized right according to the perspective.

Most "traditional" Trompe l'oeils depict inanimate or stationary objects. Plant life, animals and people etc. are usually expected to move, so the true trick of trompe l'oeil would be lost. However in today's field these are all very common subject matters and thus we have a trompe l'oeil mural.

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