Lori LeMare Studio

Lori LeMare of Lori LeMare Studio is based in Toronto, Canada, and has taught and worked worldwide, including Canada, China, Spain, Italy, France and the USA. She studied in the south of England under Master Painter Don Gray and previously owned and taught at Ritins Studio. She recently completed a jaw-dropping trompe l’oeil mural for a client’s bath and used our Slow Dry Fluid Acrylics and Glazing Mediums for the artistry. We are excited to choose this mural as our Featured Project for April 2020.

Referred by a new designer, Lori worked on several projects in a client’s home when they brought up a powder room that was in need of stenciling. She says, “I was happy to show some ideas but when the client saw the work I had done in the spa of a Biloxi Casino and Hotel, she preferred that. I drew up a maquette and changed the colours of the tented curtains to go better with her decor. They trusted me to go ahead and complete that for them. The powder room is quite small (10’x 10′) and so I completed each wall on canvas in my studio (including the ceiling), then installed the canvas as you would wallpaper. I needed to take careful measurements to make sure it all fit and lined up. The clients are very happy with the result and have found some more work for me in their gorgeous home.

What do you love most about this type of creative work?
I love that these clients took a chance on me and kept me busy by giving me more challenging projects. They got to the point that they realized my skill level was high and even though I made a maquette of the bathroom, they didn’t really need it as they just wanted me to go ahead and do what I thought would look good. This project was so exciting for me because I love the challenge of trompe l’oeil. It is a lot of work to get the painting to the point that it looks real and that is not cheap, so I am thankful for clients who want and can afford something like this.

What is your fave Golden Paintworks product?
I love to work with Golden Paintworks Sheer Glazing Medium and the Slow Dry Fluid Acrylics. The Sheer Glazing Medium has a perfect open time for my shading and highlighting, and the Slow Dry Fluid Acrylics are translucent enough for me to create excellent depth, which is needed to deceive the eye in trompe l’oeil painting.