In early 2015, I hired Ian Kelleher to paint a mural on 3 walls and on the barrel vault ceiling in my small Manhattan bathroom. I asked him to use the jungle paintings of the artist Henri Rousseau as inspiration, but I told him I wanted it to be an original Kelleher and not a copy of sections of Rousseau paintings. He totally understood what I was looking for. The first pencil sketch he gave me was 90% of what I was looking for and I gave him a few notes. Each subsequent sketch got closer and closer to what I wanted..
When the reconstruction work on my bathroom took longer than the contractor anticipated, Ian was very flexible with the start date.
Now that the mural is finished, I am 200% pleased with what he accomplished. I had imagined what I was looking for, and in every possible way his mural is better than what I was hoping for. In overall effect and in the detail work it is perfection and then some. When I made a few small suggestions during the process, he eagerly and seamlessly fit my ideas into his design. For example, when I asked him to add the eyes of a mostly hidden panther peering through the foliage, he added that feature in just a few minutes of work, and he made it seem as though it were part of the original design. I am delighted that the imagery is both realistic and painterly at the same time. For my mural, his artistic ability to capture realistically the plants and animals in a jungle setting was wonderful.
I cannot imagine either the process or the end result being any better than what I experienced.
He definitely took good care of the workspace, during the 5 days of painting and the 1 day of applying 2 coats of varnish, as well as during the final clean-up.
I recommend Ian to the greatest extent possible. I feel I have a true work of art on my walls, something I can be proud of forever.
Ian's Majestic Murals
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