Making Walls Disappear

Edwin K. Leishman is Featured on Artsy Shark.com June, 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 21:24:00 +0000

In a heavily juried call for artists, Edwin was recently selected as one of the top 68 artists out of 15,000+ entrants world-wide and his work is now featured on one of the most highly acclaimed art marketing website and blogs in the industry, Artsy Shark.com. Fifty of the artists were named as "Featured Artists" and received a blog article on the site plus a one-on-one mentoring session with the site's founder, Carolyn Edlund. Edwin and 17 other artists were also chosen as outstanding artists and were featured collectively in an article called "The Creative Process". You can view the story by clicking on the following link: the-creative-process

This was quite an honor and we just love Artsy Shark and Carolyn for all the work they do and the amazing information the site provides for artists.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 05:03:00 +0000

Hi everyone! Just wanted to write a quick note to tell you about some exciting news we received over the weekend from Artsy Shark.com, one of the premier artist marketing sites on the web. Once or twice a year they issue a "Call for Featured Artists", where thousands of artists from around the world submit their art for a chance to be featured on this juried site. (Juried is a term that basically means the artwork is heavily judged/screened by a panel of experts in the art world with very strict standards for acceptance.)

Out of all the submissions, only 40-50 will be chosen to be featured artists. They receive a featured article on themselves and their artwork, as well as one-on-one marketing help from the owner of Artsy Shark.

We didn't find out about the opportunity until 2 days before the deadline for submissions, but went ahead and sent in a Ed's work anyway. Due to the lateness of the submission and lack of time to really prepare a quality package, we weren't really expecting a whole lot.

So although we didn't get chosen as one of the individually featured artists, Ed was chosen, along with 10 or so other artists, to be included in a group feature that will help publicize him and his art and help send traffic to our site: https://www.edwinkleishmanart.houzz.com/.

Basically, out of the thousands of entries, we still made the top 60! HUGE honor and one that we feel blessed to have received.

We will keep you posted and let you know the link as soon as the article is printed.

God Bless!

Lisa

Phase 3 Emerald Island Casino project in Henderson, NV

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 03:04:00 +0000

3rd phase of 4 complete - finally! This job is massive! A County Cork, Ireland theme that is about 500 ft. long by 20 ft. high but is around the exterior of the casino on 4 sides, all with thick landscaping and ground cover that's like the rock you see at the side of freeways.These rocks are used specifically to deter anyone from walking or thinking of waking on them - check it out some time - very difficult. So I'm getting good at not tripping!

And where there isn't landscaping or rocks, there are other obstacles and crowds! So I've been doing it early in the mornings, like 3 a.m. to 9 a.m.. It lessens the liability, less people, etc.

So here are some pix - I hope you like them! I hope it's good...I can't tell. I've been staring at it for weeks. I need a fresh eye and a couple of weeks away from the project to reset the visual aptitude. But it photographs well. What do you think?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 18:22:00 +0000

Hey, everyone! Check out our new puppy!

That's him just back from his morning walk with Ed. Isn't he cool? Still tryin' to come up with a good name for him, though. Any suggestions?

Much love, Lisa &Ed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 04:18:00 +0000

McCaw School of Mines Mural

Check out the completed mural we did last year at the School of Mines. It goes around the entire building, so there are actually two murals that are 174 ft long. x 5 ft high, and two that are 60 ft long by 5 ft. high. Ed hopped on his skateboard and filmed some of it. Pretty cool! Tell us what you think !!

What goes into the making of a mural

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 23:58:00 +0000

I've spent some time with Edwin while he has worked on his last several murals, and through observation and questions, have come up with a basic model of what steps he takes when painting a mural.

The first thing he does is to sketch out the design in chalk. Once this is done, he "blocks" (or 3-D's) the different objects in the design. This is the time when he makes any small adjustments to the approved design in order to fit everything into the allotted space. This is a very visual part of the work and Edwin views the sketch from different angles and distances to ensure balance and fluidity of the picture.

Once the design is sketched out and adjustments made, the next step is to paint in the background around the objects. It is much easier to do this now rather than after painting in the main elements because you don't have to worry about getting over spray on them, so the picture is much cleaner.

At any time during this process, the client is subject to come to Edwin and request changes or additions/deletions, so his murals are always a work in progress; although I will say that the finished product pretty much always comes out exactly like his original hand drawn rendering submitted to the client, which, in this business is pretty uncommon from what I've come to understand!

The third step is outlining, or shading, around the objects to start to give them depth and substance, depending on their orientation. After this is done, he concentrates on the detail work until the mural s complete. Usually he takes a bunch of pictures at the end of each day from every different angle and distance possible so he can download them that night and blow up the detail in order to get the best possible view of the work and correct the work for anything that isn't up to the highest standard. Edwin is extremely particular about every shade, nuance and aspect of his work and always strives to provide his clients with the best work possible, and it's this attention to detail that I feel sets him apart and above other artist in this field.

And finally, when everything is complete to his satisfaction, a final meeting with the client to get their opinion and, if needed, a "punch list" of any changes or additions the client wants once they view the finished mural. In all instances that I've observed Edwin working, the clients are usually thrilled with his work, and it usually ends up being Edwin himself that makes any minor adjustments before finally deeming the work "done".

By: Lisa Clifton

New mural and artwork done for a client

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 20:24:00 +0000

Just recently, Edwin finished a beautiful mural for a client. This is a client whom he had done another mural for about 7 years ago. In that time, Edwin's phone number had changed, the client had moved to a different home...in other words, they had lost track of each other. So it was a pleasant surprise when he received a message from them via Facebook over the Christmas holidays.

They had been trying to find Edwin for nearly 5 years, ever since they had move to their new house. so that he could paint another mural for them. She wouldn't consider anyone else but Edwin to do this mural for them. When asked what she would have done if she had never be able to contact him, she simply said she would have just gone without one.

Here's a couple of shots of the finished work:

The mural wrapped around 3 walls , part of which was behind this really cool winding staircase, so it was certainly fun for him to do!

When the job was finished, they then asked him to do 2 paintings to hang over a 2 sided fireplace. (There was one central fireplace that had a hearth in 2 adjoining rooms. Here's a couple shots of those as well. Pretty cool, huh?

What do you think? We sure do welcome any comments or questions about this or any other post. Right now we are trying to see just what kind of work you all would like to see in the future. What kind of style or scene would you like to have for your home?

Check back soon because I am working on a post that showcases Edwin's murals for swimming pools. Yep - you heard me correctly - for pools. Edwin has developed a process for doing murals in pools that are just ROCKING! You will think you are really swimming with the whales or even a shark or two.

So until next time, thanks for checking in and we will have that pool post up in the next day or two!

Lisa

Introducing 'Trou Dans le Mur" - A new style of Trompe-l'oeil

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 00:05:00 +0000

Along with his artistic abilities, Edwin has a strong entrepreneurial side, and this has evidenced itself recently with the development of a product and technique that is new to both the retail wall décor industry and to the art world in general. Effectively a new style of trompe-l'oeil, Edwin has coined the term 'trou dans le mur', (translated from French to mean 'hole in the wall') for this concept that incorporates the existing wall architecturally into the overall design.

It consists of 1 to 10+ individual pieces, that when applied to a wall, afford a view as if seen through one or a series of portals (or “holes) through the wall. The spaces around or between the individual pieces are the original wall showing through, and they become as if the actual brick and mortar of the design, framing, if you will, the hole through which the trompe-l'oeil picture is seen. So for the first time ever he is able to produce a product with all the elements of a traditional mural but to a much broader audience at about a tenth of the cost and on a retail basis. For more info check out our website at https://www.wallsmarternow.com/home-.html

Here are a few of our favorites:

What would you like to see in design for your walls?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 15:33:00 +0000

Okay, folks, here's what we'd like to hear from you:

1. Which of the following are important to you when choosing art/decor for your walls? You can choose as many as you'd like and you will need to submit your answers via the comments section. Also, if you have a requirement that is not listed, plese feel free to enter your own.
a) Price/value e) Versatility (ie: can arrange several different ways)
b) Realistic rendering of subject f) Can be used in corners
c) Unique design g) Artistic - not a picture or computer-generated design
d) Won't damage wall/removable h) Breathrough, original idea

2. Visit our website at https://www.wallsmarternow.com/ What did you like or dislike about the site? Did you visit our store? What did you like or dislike about our products? Did you see anything that your liked in particular? Was our pricing reasonable? ANYTHING at all would be appropriate. This is your time to tell it like it is!

3. What would you like to see more of, or is there anything design wise that would be interesting to you? How can we get better? What do we need to do in order to serve you better?

We really appreciate your input and comments. The above questions are meant to be a loose guideline but if you have any thoughts that aren't covered above, please feel free to enter them in your response.

If you would like a response or would like to talk to or Customer Service department, please note that in your reply as well.

Thank you for your help and we'll talk to you soon!

Website is up and running!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 12:19:00 +0000

Wall-Ahhh! was finally launched and our on-line store is open for business! We opened with 30 products in the store, and Edwin is hard at work getting some more ready. Not only are we offering our breakthrough Wall-Ahhh! designs such as Malibu Breezy and Simply Serene, we are also adding some of our favorite other wall graphics for a bigger variety.

Our wall art has a little extra something that you just won't find on any other site. (I know, because

have looked!) Just for fun, and because there really isn't a better way to demonstrate the difference, below is a comparison between the different offerings from some of the top wall graphic sites and what we bring to the wall, so to speak. Check them out and decide for yourselves. To keep things consistent, the competition will be on the left hand side, and Wall-Ahhh!'s version of the subject will always be on the right.

Okay, first up is a view of Tuscany from a window. The comparison is done with a graphic offered by Magic Murals. It is 48"x71" and is on sale for $209.00.

Ours is close in size at 48"x 60" and comes in at $139. Both are classic examples of trompe-l'oeil, showing the view through a window overlooking the rolling hills of a Tuscan vineyard, and the requisite bottle of wine. But which one do you prefer?

The next one features the childhood classic, Winnie the Poo. This time the mural is from the Mural Superstore, is a whopping 120" x 72" marked down to $154 from $209. Ours is much smaller at only 50" x 62" and is priced at $149.

And final one. The tigers. Competition for this one is a graphic from wallmonkeys.com. Their tiger is 44" x 72" and sells for $119. Ours is 39" x 75" and sells for $149.

Well, maybe I'm just a little biased because they're Edwin's, but the ones on the right win hands down every time! And you wouldn't believe how hard I had to search to even find items that were even somewhat comparable to our products. The majority of the sites have what basically amounts to a super sized photograph of the subject, and this is what they refer to as a wall mural. They aren't even shown to scale, and make no attempt to be believable or realistically depicted. I mean, who ever heard of a tiger that was 10' long and 6 high - and this all while laying down?

To see more examples of our products and to read more about our company and the work that we do, please go to www.wallsmarternow.com.

Tell us what you think. Comment here or leave a message on our site. We would love to have your input and comments on this subject.

And if you get a chance, check out the site and our store which you can reach from here: wallahhhstore.

Don't forget the coupon code in my last post - it's good through the end of the year for 15% off item of your choice.

Thanks for checking and I will keep you posted!

Lisa

We are finally LIVE with our new website!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 19:40:00 +0000

As of 10:00 p.m. Friday, 11/13/15, we are officially LIVE with our website. we can be found at Wall-Ahhh! website. Please check us out and tell us what you think! At the same time we got the website up and running, we also got the online store up. You can reach it through our site or go directly to the store at http://www.wallahhhstore.wallsmarternow.com

And don't forget that anyone who mentions COUPON CODE: 1101WALLAHHH15 gets 15% off any one item in the store plus free shipping!

There's still a lot I have to learn about SEO. (Which for those of you who are acronym-challenged like me, stands for Search Engine Optimization.) SEO determines how you are searched and rated in the major search engines like Google, Firefox, & Yahoo just to name a few. It has so many factors involved, my head is still spinning and I haven't even started with the list of items you have to make sure you have in place. API credentials, SSL certificates, domain and hosting providers, secure shopping carts, vendor id's.

But maybe I will write a separate blog about all of that fun stuff. (When I actually begin to understand what they all mean, myself!) But for now, just wanted to let everyone know that we did finally publish our pages on the web and they are available for public consumption. Give us a visit and I can't say this enough - PLEASE give us some feedback - on the website, itself, here on the blog, on our many different social platforms like https://www.facebook.com/wallahhh.coolwalls/
https://www.pinterest.com/wallahhh/ https://about.me/edwin.leishman

Until next time, thanks for visiting and God Bless!

Lisa Clifton

11/2/15 Wall-Ahhh! Update

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 23:07:00 +0000

Edwin and I have been working hard getting everything ready to go live with our website, and finishing up getting the products in our store. I will keep updates here and on our other social sites. You can click here.Wall-Ahhh! store on our site wallsmarternow.com and it will take you directly to the storefront, or just go to the main page at www.wallsmarternow.com once we are up and running.

Never realized just how much goes into getting an e-commerce site ready for shoppers! This is my first excursion into the world of websites, and I really have to admit that even though we ended up getting a WYSIWYG site builder, it still takes a bit of know-how to get things the way you want them.

For instance, not really knowing just what each package could do, I figured we could just get the basic builder and if we found out later we needed other features, we would just add them down the road sometime. NOT a very good decision, as I soon came to find out! But after realizing the error of my ways, lol!, we quickly adjusted our package to actually meet our needs.

A warning to anyone who decides to try this in the future, you have to be very specific with these website building and hosting sites. From what I have seen, they are deliberately vague when it comes to telling you exactly what you will be ale to accomplish and what features are NOT included. But they certainly are willing to upgrade you to the next level-for a price! When you first start working with the templates, you see all of these little features on the menu, and think, "Oh, great! Its nice to have this feature. It will be great when I get ready to do such and such".

And then comes the occasion when you go to use that feature that you thought would come in handy in an instance just like this, only to find out that the feature is not actually available to you with your existing plan. But for only so much more a month, they would be happy to upgrade you to the next level and let you use this feature that they insinuated was included by putting in your menu in the first place.

So, yeah, I certainly came up to speed rather quickly in this area! The good news is that Edwin hasn't fired me yet. The bad news? There is no bad news! At least until Edwin gets his first monthly bill for the upgrades I found out we had to have in order to get our site up and running. Then we may have a bit of a rough patch... ( And Edwin, in case you're reading this, have I mentioned lately, honey, that you are the BEST boss ever! And I'm not just saying that because I'm trying to change the subject. Really!)

But all joking aside, I'm really getting excited to get started in this venture and can't wait to launch the Wall-Ahhh! line of products! They truly are amazing, and even though by now I should be getting used to seeing Edwin;s work, I still find myself having to walk right up to the wall and touch it to see if it's really there or just another example of his uncanny skill when it comes to creating illusion.

We came up with a pretty good analogy to describe how his wall graphics differ from the others currently on the market: Do you want a picture of Tuscany on your wall? Or do you want Tuscany ON your wall? Because that is truly the difference.

The biggest feature that I think sets his work apart from others is the architectural component in the Wall-Ahhhs. It take the existing wall and incorporates it into the actual design, architecturally, and you view the scenery as if seen looking out of a window, through the brick and mortar and iron rods that are the actual structure. (Your actual wall that you apply these to, become the brick and mortar and framework of the window in the design. Pretty cool, huh?)

In its application, it seems to make the wall disappear - as it ceases to be just a wall, but rather a window to another vista. It literally appears to add acres to the existing space with added depth and dimension through the use of Edwin's métier of forced perspective. And Viola (Wall-ahhh), just like that - you discover that, once again, life with walls can be beautiful, and that the only limitations to our world are the ones we impose ourselves.

I've included some of the items we will be offering in the store so you can get an idea of where we are going with all of this. And as an exclusive for any of you who see something here today that you might like, or even on our site once we go live, write down the following coupon code for fifteen percent off your total order plus free shipping to anywhere in the continental U.S. This code will be valid until 12/31/2015. (And of course, if you lose it, just mention you got it from our blog and we will certainly honor it for you!)

COUPON CODE: 1101WALLAHHH15

In addition to the Wall-Ahhh products, we will be offering other wall graphics that are pretty cool in their own respect. Here's a few of my personal fav's:

Well, check back often. I know I've said it before, but I really WILL start posting more regularly. Thanks for following, and tell your friends. We invite your comments and questions so please take a minute and tell us what you think.

Until next time,

Lisa

Wall-Ahhh! Update

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 20:30:00 +0000

So sorry I haven't written in a while! The past several weeks have certainly been busy with our eforts to get Wall-Ahhh! Cool Walls - just like that branded and active as possible on all of the social media platforms.

First and foremost, we have been working overtime trying to get our website up and running. We should be live with it within the week, so a little early heads up: http://wallsmarternow.com will be our new site, and I will, of course, keep everyone updated on its progress.

We now have a presence on the following social media platforms, and as I learn my way around, I will provide links both ways to all of them. For now, we are listed on them all as mpart2015 or wall-ahhh cool walls. Check us out on: Facebook Facebook Page , Linked In LinkedIn, Google Plus Google+, and Pinterest Pinterest

We also have a channel on You Tube. Click here to see all of the videos of the Gordon McCaw Elementary School video. That link is here: You Tube

Until next time, here's a couple of my favorite Wall-Ahhh! designs:

Finishing up Mural at McCaw School of Mines

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 21:10:00 +0000

This past week, Edwin was busy finishing up the mural at the McCaw School of Mines, and setting up to start another one at McCaw Elementary school right next door. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to catch some of his work on video, so we could all see just what goes into these large scale visuals. The following video is Day 1: Sketching out the design, as Edwin begins to sketch out the design for McCaw Elementary School.

Trompe-L'oeil....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 16:00:00 +0000

Translated from French, trompe-l'oeil (pronounced tromp loy) means literally to 'deceive the eye'. It is a technique that has been used for centuries that creates the believable illusion of a three-dimensional subject but portrayed on a two-dimensional surface such as canvas or paper. It often gives the appearance of "opening up" or expanding space. For example, a window or a door that seems to lead to an expanded vista.

A Vineyard in Tuscany

Doves on Window Sill over Entryway

Stairway along the sea

Although it is said to have its origins in the Baroque period, it would be better to say that it re-emerged during that time, but has been around dating back to the time of Pompeii in Greek and Roman history. During the Renaissance period, Italian artists were using a type of trompe-l'oeil known as "di sotto en su' (translation: from below, upward), when doing ceiling painting. The elements on the ceiling were painted as if viewed from a true vanishing point perspective and were incredibly realistic and believable.

Artists during this period also began adding small random elements of trompe-l'oeil to their work such as a bug crawling on the picture frame or even appearing to crawl out of the picture and frame altogether. The public was fascinated with this type of trickery; so much so that studies were done on this phenomenon which show that humans are absolutely enthralled with the whole concept of illusion. For some reason we love to be tricked in this manner - we just can't get enough of someone "deceiving our eyes"! Perhaps this is why trompe-l'oeil has been and continues to be so popular.

Trompe-l'oeil, when depicting architecture, is referred to as quadraturo. A ceiling painting that gives the illusion of a domed ceiling opening up to the heavens would be a good example. The appearance of the curved dome is so believable that is actually is perceived to be the actual architectural structure of the building.

Flemish painters in the 17th century were masters of utilizing trompe-l'oeil in still lifes. They would paint so that certain objects would seem to "stand out" from the actual canvas - a window sill or an object which appeared to be floating are good examples.This style of painting is known as chantourne, which translated means "cut out". Here's a great example of this style of trompe-l'oeil chantourne which Edwin did several years ago, and also happens to be one of my personal favorites:

Trompe l'oeil has long been used in murals and experienced a resurgence in popularity during the 1980's. This resurgence continues in the present day. In fact, most people don't realize that this technique has been used in other areas besides art. It has long played an important role in theater set design when creating the illusion of deeper space that what can be achieved on a normal stage. Forced perspective streets are very common on sets, as they appear to disappear far into the distance.

It is even utilized in films, TV shows, and cartoons! A form of trompe-l'oeil was used n pre-computer generated imagery when filming complicated scenes. They would take glass blocks and paint them with particular elements of the scene then film the action through the blocks. And cartoons! (Think Looney Toons!) How many times did Roadrunner paint a tunnel on the side of a mountain only to have Wile E. Coyote try to run into the tunnel only to run smack into a rock wall:? Or realize the tunnel was a trick and stop himself just in time - to then be run over be a speeding train coming out of the imaginary tunnel!

So trompe-l'oeil, in all of its many forms and applications, from long ago Masters to modern-day muralists, continues to trick and delight us; making us smile and shake our heads at the illusion. And after all, isn't that what art is all about?

McCaw Elementary School Mural

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 17:48:00 +0000

Yesterday Edwin started a new mural at Gordon McCaw Elementary School in Henderson, NV, and I was there to capture some of it on video. Yes, once again I was up a ladder onto the roof of a building, and for those that know me, this is no small thing. I've always had a phobia about heights, but yesterday I realized that I was actually doing pretty well with being more than 2 ft. off the ground. Perhaps it's because I was so engrossed with watching Edwin sketch out the basic design for his newest mural! Whatever the reason, I'm truly grateful that height no longer seemed to bother me, since I plan on filming the entire process and posting it here on our blog so that everyone can see just what goes into making a mural of this size and scope.

This is the design that was submitted and approved by the school board, although they weren't particularly happy with the center part of the outline that actually reads The McCaw School since this mural won't be seen from the road but rather just from a view on campus. Edwin is working today on some other ideas, but in my opinion the design flows very well as it stands, and changing the center portion of it now may throw off the overall theme. But, as Edwin likes to remind me, he is the creative one in this partnership, I'm the bean counter - or in this instance, the videographer. So I will concentrate on not falling off the roof and leave Edwin to the creative matters. Lol!

I was told that McCaw is the largest magnet school in the state. The school is a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field trip destination and learning facilit. They provide a quality educational experience for 4lh grade students in the Clark County School District as well as the general public.It's interesting to note that a field trip to McCaw School of Mines is the only field trip that costs the students absolutely zero, and McCaw will even arrange for transportation for children who otherwise would not be able to visit the exhibits due to financial reasons. It is a truly impressive learning center for these kids will be the doctors and scientists of our future!

For those of you who are not familiar with Henderson, the McCaw School of Mines, where Edwin is just finishing up his latest mural for them, is actually part of the McCaw Elementary School campus.. I will have him upload some pix of some of the work he has done there over the years so you can all get a pretty good idea of how his themes and designs flow together. In addition to the mural he is just completing at the School of Mines, he recently did some work that features the solar system. It is done inside a railroad boxcar and everything is viewed under a black light because part of the display includes rocks and minerals that are phosphorescent under black light. Pretty cool! Definitely will post some of these pictures!

These are pack mules that are part of the outside exhibits at the School of Mines. The are done on flat pieces of plywood, but using forced perspective, give the appearance of being 3-dimensional.

Here are a couple of photos inside the solar system display that Edwin did at the School of Mines. They were taken on my cell, so the quality isn't the best but pretty cool regardless.

For more info on the McCaw School of Mines check out these links: http://www.coalzoom.com and http://nevadasubcontractors.com/

Emerald Island Casino, Henderson, NV

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 01:16:00 +0000

EMERALD ISLAND CASINO
Henderson, Nevada

A little over 12 years ago, two twin brothers, Tim and Michael Brooks, bought a casino in downtown Henderson, Nevada. The 8500 square foot casino had been empty for close to three years, so there was much work to be done getting everything ready for the grand opening of The Emerald Island Casino, named thusly in honor of their mother, who is 100% Irish. One evening as Tim Brooks was overseeing the renovations and attending to the many details in preparation for opening day, a gentleman by the name of Edwin Leishman walked into the casino and introduced himself, asking what the brothers planned on doing with the many empty walls in the casino. He went on to explain that he was a mural artist and that he would like to show the brothers his work.

Tim agreed, and Edwin set to work on a mural depicting the Irish countryside. Less than a day later, Tim walked in to find the mural not only completely done, but of such outstanding workmanship, that Tim decided to retain his services for some other projects that he would like to have done in the future.

That one mural, was the start of a 12 year long journey that is still ongoing. During that time, Edwin has graced quite literally every wall, both inside and out, with beautiful themed Irish renderings that have helped to brand Emerald Island as truly the Jewel of downtown Henderson.

Exterior of Emerald Island Casino

Emerald Island Casino

Emerald Island Ceiling

Here are a few pictures of the inside and outside of Emerald Island Casino, The Jewel of Downtown Henderson, NV.

Press Release Martha Stewart American Made 2015 Nominee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 19:34:00 +0000

Lisa Clifton

Marketing/Publicist for

Edwin K. Leishman

Telephone (702) 337-6692

E-mail mpart2015@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

L O C A L A R T I S T N O M I N A T E D F O R M A R T H A S T E W A R T ' S

A M E R I C A N M A D E A W A R D S

Edwin K. Leishman, owner of MP Art, Inc., has been nominated for his entry in the Design category in the prestigious 4th Annual Martha Stewart American Made Awards. Winners will be announced on October 23, 2015, with an awards ceremony as part of the American Made Summit to be held in New York City on November 7, 2015. The American Made Awards honor craftsmen and makers from across the United States for innovations and excellence in their respective fields of Design, Food, Crafts, and Style. From influencing an industry to impacting a community, each nominee is honored for helping to promote the American Made Movement.

Leishman was nominated for his new product concept and design called Wall-Ahhh Cool Walls, a wall graphic that delivers a beautiful, intelligently executed solution to the decor and design issues faced when addressing the walls which surround us. Wall-Ahhh incorporates your existing walls architecturally into the design, not only expanding our horizons but also giving an extra dimension to our living spaces.

Originally founded by Leishman as Mural Perspective, MP Art has been creating and producing custom decorative murals and faux finishes for residential and commercial clients in Las Vegas for nearly 20 years.They have also developed and perfected a process for doing underwater murals in swimming pools. The 3-D effect of his tromp l'oeil style of painting is surprisingly enhanced by the addition of water, giving one the illusion of literally swimming with the dolphins, sharks and other sea creatures incorporated in these large scale visual works of art.

About his Wall-Ahhh Cool Walls concept, Leishman states " I've noticed that if you can sincerely fool one's eye architecturally with paint or print, one can't get enough of it. That's why I want to deliver a retail item that believably makes your walls disappear leaving behind an architecturally interesting and beautiful vista.

The Wall-ahhh cool walls kit contains several pieces of adhesive backed canvas that the consumer would install themselves, and which can removed and re-installed over and over again, with a total application time under 10 minutes. A truly innovative alternative to other wall graphics on the market or as Mr. Leishman likes to describe it, a wall graphic for grown-ups. Voila (Wall-Ahhh) Just like that!

His profile and nomination can be viewed along with the other nominees online at http://www.marthastewart.com/americanmade/nominee/138698/design/mp-art. Nine Editors Choice honorees and one Peoples Choice Award winner will be announced on October 23, 2015. All winners will receive $10,000 to further their business and a trip for 2 to the American Made Summit and Awards ceremony to be held in New York City on November 7th of this year.

Wall-Ahhh Designs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 19:20:00 +0000

I painted a mural years ago and my phone still rings, I didn't choose this business, I feel like it chose me. I've noticed that if you can sincerely fool one's eye architecturally with paint or print, one can't get enough of it. That's why I want to deliver a retail item that believably makes your walls disappear leaving behind an architecturally interesting and beautiful vista. Do you want a big picture of Tuscany in your living room or do you want Tuscany in your living room? That's the difference.

Wall-Ahhh has been an idea that I've been working on for nearly 5 years now. It actually started out as a "Hole in the Wall" idea, and has progressed to what you now see. Wall-Ahhh has evolved over time to incorporate more of an architectural aspect than was originally used in the early days of development. I am currently working on new and exciting designs, and even some that will be installed in a corner of a room.

The only thing that limits you is your own imagination.

"Life With Walls Can Be Beautiful"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Sep 2015 15:57:00 +0000

44 Walls = Average Living Space. MPArt started out as Mural Perspective nearly 20 years ago, delivering new treatments for old walls with incredible murals and tromp l'oeil. Perspective was, and is, in our name for a reason.

A mural is not just a picture painted on a wall - indeed it is a skillful effort toward achieving illusion, expanding our horizons, and providing extra dimension to our living spaces.

The creme-de-la-creme of mural painting is "tromp l'oeil" (tromp loy), translated from the French "to deceive the eye". At its finest, this type of mural is a continuation of existing architecture and the common wall provides an opportunity for this to be achieved on an heroic scale.