Click an image to view the page for that project.
Trompe l'oeil exposed bricks for the kitchen of a Scottsdale home
Trompe l'oel window above Master Bathroom bathtub for a Peoria home Trompe l'oel balcony overlooking an Arizona landscape for the ASU Business School Trompe l'oel window looking onto a Tuscany Landscape for a North Scottsdale home
Trompe l'oel gazebo on a tropical island for a Paradise Valley home Trompe l'oel guitarist sitting in a Great Room niche for a North Phoenix home Trompe l'oel arch around niche for a Paradise Valley home
Trompe l'oel wooded landscape for a Master Bathroom tub area in a Central Phoenix home Trompe l'oel niche with wine bottle, glass and grapes for a North Scottsdale home
Trompe l'oel butterfly and vines for the Guest House in a North East Phoenix Home Trompe l'oel golf bags with clubs and ball for a Paradise Valley home Trompe l'oel arch decoration for a Paradise Valley home Trompe l'oel Italian courtyard with mandolin for a Paradise Valley home
Trompe l'oel metalwork fireplace decoration for a Paradise Valley home Trompe l'oel decoration for a North Scottsdale home Trompe l'oel contemporary ironwork decoration for a Paradise Valley home
Trompe l'oel broken plaster and exposed blockwork for a North Scottsdale home Trompe l'oel broken plaster, exposed blockwork and wild flowers for a North Scottsdale home
Trompe l'oel broken plaster and exposed blockwork for a Gilbert home Trompe l'oel carved decoration for a North Scottsdale home

Trompe L'oeil Murals and Decoration

Trompe l'oeil Murals . . .

can be as large as a room or as small as a butterfly. Primarily used to deceive the viewer into perceiving an extra dimension, at their best they are a constant source of surprise and pleasure.

The term trompe l'oeil refers to any painting that has this characteristic, it's not descriptive of the subject matter but of the illusion.

What distinguishes a trompe l'oeil from a regular mural tends to be the level of detail and the depth of perspective. If you're not going to be able to see a trompe l'oeil from head on at a distance, the illusion can be reduced. Of course, if you paint a complete room, the impact of being surrounded tends to make up for the lack of distance and the multiple angles of view.

If you don't have a niche, you can always paint one to hold a bottle of your personally labelled wine and a glass full waiting to be drunk. Or a door sized arch leading to a balcony overlooking a fantasy Arizona landscape.

Many decorative details can be turned into a trompe l'oeil by creating the illusion of depth with the addition of shadows. How successful this might be will depend on how well drawn the original detail is, and at what distance it will be viewed. If you like to feel, no matter how briefly, that you're somewhere you're not, or own something you don't, a trompe l'oeil painting is an artful deception.

Click on the trompe l'oeil images to the right for larger pictures and more detail about each project. Some of these are big files so they may take some time to show up.

For more information, to see my portfolio, request a free consultation or estimate, or simply to ask a question, contact me: Doug Morris: 480.232.9778 | doug(a)fineartdecor.com.