What’s Trompe L’oeil

Great question! The first time I heard it, I didn’t know either. But, a quick Google search and I fell in love! In fact, if you do search Google Images for Trompe L’oeil, the second image is from an artist I got to apprentice with!

From Wikipedia:

Trompe-l'œil (/trɒmp ˈlɔɪ/ tromp LOY, French: [tʁɔ̃p lœj]; French for 'deceive the eye') is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. Trompe l'oeil, which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into perceiving painted objects or spaces as real. Forced perspective is a related illusion in architecture.

The idea that I could paint things that tricked the viewer really turned me on. I always liked realistic stuff and frankly, for me, the more real one of my paintings looks, the more I like it. It’s not quite that simple though. I don’t want to paint realistic things that you could easily find pictures of, I wanted to paint realistic things that don’t really exist like the dragon in the window below.

Tuscan Fantasy is one of my Trompe L’oeil Installation murals

Trompe L’oeil also includes things like illusions and decorative painting. Check out more of my Trompe L’oeil murals in my mural portfolio.