When Bailey the spaniel has had his meal, the pampered pooch always dines with friends.   That is, friends depicted on the walls around him, a la trompe l’oeil.

This style of painting ranges from a floor-to-ceiling image on a wall down to a small illustration painted on canvas, wood or other surface.  Only the imagination limits this age old style of painting that continues to hold its own in the art world and, more recently, with homeowners. 

“Trompe l’oeil (pronounced “trump loy”) is a French term meaning “deceive the eye”.  The painting style creates an illusion and tricks the eye to see a life-like image on a wall rather then a reproduction. 

Having fun is a major component of trompe l’oeil.  Pleasanton artist Victoria Miraglio has painted a lot of fanciful paintings both residential and commercial buildings since she began painting full time five years ago.

One woman wanted a closet-sized room, where her dog Bailey was fed, painted just for the dog, Miraglio said.  So Bailey’s “vino bar” was created.   The three walled room depicts a dandily dressed Baily sitting at a bistro table with a wine glass raised in a salute.  The adjacent walls feature theree other dogs, including a bichon fries and a dachshund, enjoying a sunny afternoon at Bailey’s fantasy café.  To top off the tall-tail room, a colorful awning shades the doorway.

Although Miraglio has painted floor to ceiling gardens, jungles and even an African savannah, she especially enjoys painting rustic vineyard panoramas.  Designed to depict a window view, her vineyard vistas often often include personal touches.  In one 14-foot by 22-foot painting depicting a veranda view of horizon-stretching vineyards, hot air balloons hover in the distant sky.  The family is painted riding in those balloons, Miraglio revealed. 

In another painting, she said, the view holds special meaning.  Every year for their anniversary, one client and her husband travel to Greece.  Miraglio depicted their favorite Grecian vacation window view.  What to paint and how to paint it is personal.  Miraglio talks to her clients, looks around the house and tries to get a feel for their taste, she said.  She tries to incorporate the style of the home in the painting and if the home has interesting architectural elements, she’ll include those elements as well. 

Miraglio often freely creates designs for clients, whether it is a storybook setting of bears on a picnic or a 19th century Parisian street scene.  She has also used photographs if the clients have a particular landscape in mind.  She recalled painting a California vineyard scene in a home.  When the husband came home he told her he had grown on Mount Diablo and would like to include it in the landscape.  Using the photographs he took, Miraglio added the view of Mount Diablo to the horizon.

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Miraglio charges by the complexity of the work requested.  The more detailed work, demanding more time, costs more.  Her work has ranged from $500 to $6,000.  Both artists depend on word of mouth and that means customer satisfaction. 

But satisfaction goes both ways.  “I get emotionally involved,” Miraglio said.  The piece becomes more than paint on the wall.  For Miraglio, it is a piece of her.  “I really love it,” she said.

Photo caption (page 12):  Floor-to-ceiling paintings of favorite Jungle Book story characters, painted by artist Victoria Miraglio, transform an ordinary child’s bedroom into a whimsical and cheerful retreat.

Photo caption (page 13, on left):  It may need a second look for the mind to register the illusion:  This is not a shelf over the door but paint from Victoria Miraglio’s masterful eye and skillful hand. 

Photo caption (page 13, on right): Victoria Miraglio depicted a 19th century Parisian street scene in this painting.  Matching the rooms architectural detail are the columns framing the piece – the columns are a part of the illusion-creating painting.

For more on Miraglio’s work, visit her website at www.muralartist.org or call 925-461-5045.