FAIRY - TALE FOREST
Through his business, Douglas has gained a reputation as a master at the advanced technique of trompe l'oeil, evident in a woodland bedroom scene he created for homeowner Carol Rediehs' daughter. "This is a mural, but it has trompe l'oeil quality in that it looks real and corners disappear," he notes. "It actually spans two walls and goes from the floor to the ceiling." By covering both walls and the ceiling, including camouflaging the door and air vents, the mural virtually envelopes the room. The use of several colors also provides versatility in case the owner wants to change other accessories later. Like Dawn, Douglas also suggests classes to learn the technique. "It should look real and fool you. If it doesn't, it's a poor trompe l'oeil or a good mural," he says, adding that once the bedroom was finished, he too was impressed. "You get swept up in it. I couldn't stop staring at it."
Being sent to her room might be a treat for the girl who lives in this space. She and her mother wanted a woodland theme and got a fairy-tale forest setting, thanks to Douglas' trompe l'oeil effect. Grasses, flowers, trees and sky extend over two walls and a ceiling for greater depth and dimension, achieved through the use of vanishing points, perspective and other artistic tools.