A walnut grained tompe loeil panel
Walnut woodgrain/trompe loeil, originally uploaded by artmorehead.
This is a flat panel done in a walnut wood grain with trompe loeil raised molding. This was a study done for a designer client of mine. You might see a finish like this performed on a cabinet or a door way to give it a sense of depth or uncommon age. You can also go for a more distressed look to match other antique pieces in the room.
I am looking for a molding very much like the molding on these doors to replace on some of our cabinet doors as I refinish them. The cabinets were made in 1975.
Hi Bob
Thanks for stopping in, What you see is a hand painted panel. The walnut is a wood grain technique and the moldings are created by using trompe loeil by painting light and shadow. In other words the moldings are not real they are painted like the rest of the panel but I will regard this as a compliment lol.
I was browsing the internet for woodworking and accidently clicked on my way somehow to:
http://art-faux.com/faux-painting-wood/a-walnut-wood-grain-trompe-l-oeil-door/
I marveled at what I thought was extraordinary woodworking. I scanned through the webpages trying to discover the masterful techniques of routing and carving that had to be part of this creation. Slowly, it began to dawn on me that this ‘masterpiece’ was a faux. I couldn’t get angry at being duped because it was too good a fake and so good a fake as to deserve appreciation for the artistry required.
Then I began to realize what caused me to want to know more about this particular fake. As a woodworker, it would be nearly impossible to create this artwork as a piece of woodworking. First, the plank or slab is incredibly wide. But, what really intrigued me was that the raised molding would be impossible to create upon the plank, as one piece, without a lifetime of precision carving. Hah, I said, gotcha!
As I ruined my schedule for the next few hours perusing Art’s art, I think there are more examples of impossibilities not unlike Escher. The faux marble columns, though beautiful with their various cracks and fissures, might be a doubtful choice for statuary just because of the potential of catastrophic failure of the material while carving, let alone as structural support.
What really grabbed me about this website and its creator is the unique ability of Art to describe, in the most simple terms, what is required to duplicate his feats. Where this linear unfolding becomes ultimately impossible, Art confesses this to us as a shift in mind set that cannot be gained with different textures or mixtures. This is pure yoga and not faux!
New fan,
Scott
Thank You Scott, This was quite an analogy to say the least and I do appreciate the time you took to write this. I do try to put as much into my posts as possible without trying to bore people lol, Its comments like yours that make it worth the effort. I like to share what I learn when I have the opportunity to basically do what I feel is right for the outcome and love commissions where clients let me be my creative self..