Lenna Kay Weinstein
Mural Masters Of Colorado

Mural Masters Of Colorado is an art design production company specializing in murals and wall sculpting including frescoes and bas-relief. Clients include theater and television producers, restaurants and showrooms, and many private homes. Lenna's work has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Colorado Homes and Lifestyles Magazine, and Denver Living Magazine.

For added ornamentation, Lenna uses sculpting techniques to create three-dimensional fruits, leaves, and flowers on her murals. In many cases she does this by coating artificial flowers, leaves and fruits with Molding Paste, building up layers until the objects appear to be sculpted. Occasionally she will sculpt these objects directly from the surface she is working on, or combine the two different tech- niques together. The three-dimensional objects are eventually primed with gesso or household primer, and then Lenna paints them with metallic paints or paints them to look like stone.

Generally, when working on large murals, Lenna will mix her color choices with GOLDEN Artist Colors, then have these colors matched with house paint. Most of her surfaces will be painted with the house paint, but she uses GOLDEN Acrylics to enhance certain areas when it is appropriate. Lenna has used up to 35 cans of paint plus artist colors on large projects. She uses a lot of AGL as well since she mixes it with most of her colors.

Lenna also uses the AGL as a final finish on interior walls. She applies it to the painted surface with a roller and then pats it down with a sponge. Working indoors most of the time, Lenna tries to stay away from solvent-based protective coatings, especially those with strong smells, "Living in Colorado", says Lenna, "the air is very dry and that can make working difficult. Plaster and other sculpted work can crack if it dries too rapidly, and paint needs to stay wet for some time to create certain effects." Lenna finds ways of compensating for the dryness, such as using AGL with her colors to extend the drying time. Still, she has to be careful how she applies her materials to avoid problems with the dry environment.

Job preparation in any home or business, large or small, is extensive. says Lenna, so as not to cause any damage. She usually videotapes the area she will be working in to protect herself from responsibility for existing problems. When doing plaster work, Lenna uses a lot of masking tape and brown paper. She always puts a sheet of plastic down on the floor first, and then covers the plastic with heavy drop cloths. Currently, Lenna is in the planning stages of setting up co-op mural programs for independent living facilities, nursing homes, art stores YMCAs, and more.

Lenna Weinstein's murals, which often cater to the home decorating market, are more than just paintings on a wall. Her murals are unique because she forms three-dimensional surfaces, building up layers of texture or carving bas-relief. Creating realistic walls of stones, bricks, marble, logs, wood grain and tile on drywall or wood surfaces, Lenna works to shape a whole environment. In addition to her murals she offers a line of sculpted or faux finished products including switch plates, medallions, picture frames and furniture.

Lenna specializes in giving a classical or antique effect to contemporary building materials. She often works directly on drywall, disguising the substrate with her artistic finishes. Lenna tells us that no preparation is necessary on drywall that is painted with a flat or eggshell finish. On a gloss surface, however, she gives a light sanding and applies a layer of GOLDEN Acrylic Glazing Liquid (AGL) before she begins painting.

If Lenna is building up one of her textured surfaces, such as brick or stone, she will begin applying layers of plaster or GOLDEN Molding Paste to the primed surface. She stresses that the layers of plaster should not be too thick as that can increase the risk of cracking. Often, after building the texture up with plaster, she applies Molding Paste as a finishing layer to paint on. She does not suggest mixing the two materials together.