The Stillwagon Mural Process

Are you considering a Stillwagon Mural?

After twenty five years of painting murals on interior and exterior walls, I am still in the business of turning virtually any blank space into a magical world that you might like to enter and have a look around.

I am reluctant to refer to what I do as work. I just seem to enjoy it so much.

I still get just as excited about tackling a large, plain surface as I did when I painted my very first "big picture". It was a twenty by forty foot canvas stage backdrop for a theater presentation of "Camelot". It turned out good enough to win an award and I was hooked.

Here is how I work now:

The more creative freedom I have on a given project, the faster and smoother the work will go, making the project less costly for my client/patron. (and more enjoyable for me)

However, before any paint goes on the wall, we will thoroughly discuss what is expected as far as subject matter, color, approximate time involved, and price.

My first and main objective is to make my patron happy beyond expectations. And I must be reasonably satisfied also.

I sign my work.

I stake my reputation as a career artist on everything I do.

I cannot leave the job until I feel it is complete to the last detail. And I never raise the agreed on price, no matter how long it takes to achieve those goals.

The Stillwagon Mural Technique:

When the surface is suitable for painting, and the idea/vision has arrived, it is time to gather the tools, materials, and the paint.

These colors contain ultra violet blockers and bonding agents, and are so durable against the elements, that a clear finish, or varnish is not necessary.

I am a traditional painter. I work freehand with brushes, and I do not use stencils, projectors, grids, or air-powered devices. When it is convenient, I sometimes lightly sketch certain details in chalk before I commit them to paint.

I only work on one mural at a time. I stay focused on the project until it is finished and signed. I come to the wall every day (weather permitting) until the work is complete.

Subject Matter:

Because I live in Florida, as do most of the people who commission me, I have come to specialize in what I call "Tropical Florida Visionary Art".

I do landscapes, seascapes, sunsets, swamps, and starry skies. I paint Florida plants, animals, trees, flowers, and birds. And little surprise creatures here and there. Although I paint all these subjects often, I never paint them the same way twice.

I love the challenge of a fresh new project. That keeps it interesting for me. And hopefully, the people who see my art. And the client definitely benefits by it. Every patron of my art will have a truly original painting.

Faux Effects:

You might have seen some of my faux (fake) paintings and didn't know it.

You thought those columns were made of genuine, imported, Italian marble. Nope. They were made of wood or concrete, and yours truly painted them to look exactly like marble. And those huge monoliths of stone were hand-carved by me also. Out of thick styrofoam and painted to look like stone, right down to the grout lines separating the fake boulders.

The marbleized illusion is done by several shades of color applied with brushes, rags, and sponges. In this case I also apply tinted varnishes because it enhances the overall appearance of aging marble.

I enjoy turning a plain looking post, column, fireplace or whatever, into a thing of classic beauty, as if by magic.

You thought those columns were made of genuine, imported, Italian marble. Nope. They were made of wood or concrete, and yours truly painted them to look exactly like marble.

I will travel.

I have commuted as far as south France to paint murals. I was commissioned to decorate two walls in a beach resort on the Mediterranean a few years ago.

A nice project anywhere in the U.S.A. is always a possibility.