Thank you Long Island !!

Once again the votes have been counted and the Long Island Press has tops in all categories. The Best Artist Honors have been bestowed on Arlene Mcloughlin Murals the studio is finishing in the top 3 and is very proud and gracious to all Long Islanders who took part in this voting process! To read more please look for the January 15 issue of the LONG ISLAND PRESS

Merry Christmas to all!

Happy Holidays to my friends and family from myself and the staff at Arlene Mcloughlin Murals .

MEOW

Kids rooms are a joy to paint. Some of my favorite commissions have been for childrens living spaces. The client is always thrilled, the child's wide eyed wonderment and enthusiasm is contagious! My most recent project in a three year old little girl's room is quite the sophisticated look! The mother wanted a chocolate brown and pink color scheme, she painted "shadow boxes" around the room, but they were missing something.... I came in and added the "leopard print" through out the room, the completed project is very dramatic, fun and the perfect balance of whimsy.

Using Plasters in Mural work

Lately I have been getting calls for an olde world look to my mural painting. I enjoy utilizing plasters in my mural work and there are several ways I go about this. Traditionally if I am using a lime based plaster I will paint my mural as a fresco using egg tempera, earth pigments and water. This method is time consuming, and more expensive ar far as products being used, but the results are quite stunning, and finished murals look like old Italian walls. I also use a method where I paint my mural using regular artist acrylic paints. I use very saturated colors, and then I apply carefully placed layers of synthetic plasters on top of the painting. This method produces a crusty old worn down look that is quite attractive. The plasters can then be sanded for even more age, waxed or left alone.

Long Island Press BEST OF 2009

Arlene Mcloughlin Murals has been nominated again by the Long Island Press as LONG ISLAND'S BEST ARTIST!! Please show your support for us and vote at http://www.votebestofli.com/ we are located under the "Arts and Entertainment " section. This is an honor for me and our staff here at the studio. We work hard for our Long Island clients , to bring new and exciting Mural looks as well as Plaster and the latest Faux Finishing looks to you! So thanks again for the nomination, and keep voting for us!

Illuminated Jack o' Lanterns

http://www.nassaumuseum.com/spookyhalloween.html This is a link to a great Halloween exhibit, at the beautiful Nassau County Museum of Art. I am looking foward to participating this year, and carving a Jack 'o Lantern for the festivities, I can't imagine how cool 3000 illuminated pumpkins will be at night! Halloween is my favorite holiday, and these kind of community gatherings really get people in the celebratory mood. There are also several really good Haunted Houses in the area, my favorite being the Bayville Firehouse. This Haunted House is definitely not for the little ones, but more for a date night or group of people. Go on a rainy night! The numerous corn fields on Long Island and hayrides, pumpkin picking and festivities are in abundance so go have some Halloween fun! And go ahead eat your favorite candy bar...I know the Grand will be in ,my trick o treat bowl

Redecorating for teens, and tweens

When kids get to a certain age, 11-12 they no longer seem to be interested in "characters" fairys or superheroes any more. I had this dilema recently with my daughter. We have muraled her room 3 times since she was born, her nursery was a circus theme, as a toddler she had Princess room , and then around 7 years old we did a Breakfast at Tiffany's look with Cats. She loves cats. So this year she will be 11, she has Jonas Brothers mania, and wanted bright colors, turquoise, fuschia and purple, How do we make this work? I came up with an India inspired theme. We used plasters in these bright saturated colors on the walls and furniture. The touches of gold, orange and fuschia accents really pull it all together , but the Taj Mahal type head board my husband and I cut from a sheet of plywood and upholstered really says "India Princess" Coming up with a color scheme is the easy part its finding the cohesive elements that make the story work. I look through magazines before I commit to anything for inspiration and ideas.Determining my theme helps too. Albeit India, sports, or just color. A scrollsaw and some good hand tools are helpful too.

Decorative Painting on vehicles??

Here is a fun little project I worked on over the summer in my spare time(ha) An artist friend of mine does these for hunters and fieldsmen in her area and gave a few of us the recipes that she uses for successful painting on an automobile or boat. So I ran with the idea, I figured my van was pretty nasty and a paint job would attact some attention as well as look a heckuva alot better driving up to a jobsite. The paint is all exterior grade latex, and the results are durable and so far holding up to some nasty weather.

How's Robb?: Word.

How's Robb?: Word.

A new Salon in Smithtown

My good friend Ryan Demarco has opened one of the first "Elements" massage salons oin the area. This salon specializes in therapuetic massage amongst others types of massage. He has built a beautiful, serene sanctuary for people to come and relax, or have the "kinks" worked out. The interior of the salon features murals in the bathrooms , metalic foil accents on all the interior doors as well as a custom built desk in the entryway. The monochromatic color sceme of the salon lends itself to the tranquil aspects found at every turn from the trickling water falls, to the aromatherapy infused through out. The attention to every detail is sure to entice your senses.