For all the years that I have been creating art, I have always looked to nature for relaxation, inspiration, and creativity. I remember when I was a young man and I would hike up into the mountains to camp out under the open sky… lying under all those beautiful stars and contemplating the vastness of the universe away from the light pollution of the cities. For me it was exciting as well as soothing. I wanted a way to capture that feeling for my clients. So, In addition to fine art and custom mural work, I have been experimenting with painted illusions in the tromp l'oile tradition. One of the most amazing painted illusions that I have discovered involves the use of specially formulated, glowing phosphors to create the illusion of the starry heavens in total darkness! The mural is invisible by day, your ceiling or walls look completely normal, just as it does right now. But at night, when the lights are off it appears that your ceiling is gone and you are looking up at the most beautiful starry night sky imaginable!
I spoke with Chad Moore about our different approaches to preserving the night sky, my work as an artist and his work as a scientist. Chad is best known for his work with night skies as the program manager for a small team of scientists that measure, restore, and promote the proper management of the night sky resource. He and team member Dan Duriscoe have developed an automated all-sky camera capable of precise measurement of light pollution. For the past two years they have been busy inventorying the night sky at several US National Parks.
After seeing my "Night Illusions" he was moved to write this about my work;
"We measure the stars with numbers, but equally so with inspiration. For
the starry sky has reawakened beauty and mystery in innumerable hearts.
Though we have banished the Milky Way to the furthest corners of our travels,
it never ceases to transport us inward to a place of clarity. This gift is
not measured in dollars or decimals, but in the verse of poems, the
imagination of stories, and in the radiance of art." ~ Chad Moore ~ Night Sky Program Manager National Park Service
If you wish to commission a custom "glow in the dark" painting or mural please contact me for more information.
I create original glow murals on collapsible, stretched GENIE canvases in the following sizes;
2 x 3 feet (24" x 36") 2 x 4 feet (24" x 48") 2 x 5 feet (24" x 60") 2 x 6 feet (24" x 72") 3 x 3 feet (36" x 36") 3 x 4 feet (36" x 48") 3 x 5 feet (36" x 60") 3 x 6 feet (36" x 72") (30" x 40") 4 x 4 feet (48" x 48") 4 x 5 feet (48" x 60") 4 x 6 feet (48" x 72") 5 x 5 feet (60" x 60") 5 x 6 feet (60" x 72") 5 x 7 feet (60" x 84") 5 x 8 feet (60" x 96")
NOTE:
Glow Painting prices are dependent upon the complexity of the design,
the size and the amount of rare-earth phosphor paints used.
Please
please contact me to discuss your ideas and you budget with me. I'll be happy to let you know what I can create for you within your budget.
With my "Starry Night" version you get a beautiful random pattern of stars in five magnitudes stretching across your ceiling. No constellations or Milky Way Galaxy just many beautiful stars glowing softly on your ceiling. I can add in some shooting stars" for an additional charge. This is my most affordable version of my Night Illusions Versions. This version is very suitable for any of the "Themes" listed below. Peaceful and serene with a very deep three dimensional effect. Looks like you reach way up into the night sky! The little minor stars even appear to twinkle!
Sleep under the stars in your own bed ... every night!
The "Masterpiece" version is by far my most popular Night Illusions Version. This is like ordering a pizza with "the works"! With the Masterpiece version you get as many major Constellations as I can fit on your ceiling, all in their proper astronomical postions realtive to one another. You also get the shimmering, majestic "Milky Way" Galaxy stretching across your ceiling. I even create a small "meteor shower" with a cluster of three "shooting stars"! This is the most impressive and astronomically correct version that I create! This is the view of the stars you would have in the high mountains, away from city lights and pollution.
Simply a cosmic "Masterpiece"!
My exclusive "Wonders Of The Universe"Night Illusions Version is for the bold and daring! Great for home theaters and game rooms! Teens really enjoy this "deep space" theme with it's multiple colored stars, nebulae, galaxies, gas clouds, star-fields, globular star clusters and comets. To create this version on your ceiling, I need complete artistic license as the elements in this version are developed right on your ceiling as I create the illusion of the cosmos. If you wish I can create the illusion of a mysterious "Black Hole" in a Galaxy or how about a planetary "Solar Eclipse"? Or Both!
Simply awe inspiring! Your own "Hubble Telescope" view into space!
Here is another example of my "Wonders Of The Universe" version. Each ceiling mural that I create is unique and is custom designed for the room it is in. Enjoy the wonders of the universe in your home or hotel. A wonderful addition to home theaters! Imagine how much your child or teen would enjoy sleeping in their bed under this!
Remember ... this cannot be seen during the day or when the lights are on ... it can be seen only in the dark!
I use as many as six different rare earth phosphors that glow in the dark to create my "Wonders Of The Universe" versions!
The canvas panels may be mounted on your ceiling or on your wall! I can also create these illusions on hardboard up to 4 x 8 feet.
Here are four views of the same mural "Mount Shasta In Moonlight" under four different lighting conditions. Yes, it's the same mural ... it changes appearance! This 38" x 96" hardboard mural is truly amazing. Please read the explanation.
Here is the mural in normal room lighting. A beautiful nocturnal landscape of Mount Shasta in Northern California.
This is the same mural with some low level incandescent lighting in the room supplemented by a small black light. The mural has become luminious and yet you can still see the colors.
This is the same mural with a just a small black light as the only
illumination in the room. The landscape is darkened against the
luminous sky. The stars glow brightly along with the moon.
This is the same mural photographed in TOTAL DARKNESS! The mural is emitting a soft blue light and the landscape is reduced to a black silhouette against a beautifully luminescent blue horizon. The moon and stars have disappeared. Four different murals in one depending on the lighting!
This four murals in one special effect is created by painting the mural using many different rare earth phosphors, some phosphors react and are "energized" by black light, others absorb light in the room and release it when the lights are off. Using this technique I can design mysterious and beautiful "underwater" murals or stunning landscapes like the one show above on either a large canvas or hardboard. (hardboard murals are limited to 4 x 8 feet) How about an incredible view of space from another planet or moon?
I can even create "nocturnal city scapes" that have the city lights glowing in the dark! Anyone like abstract murals that change with different light? WOW! What can YOU think of? I would like to hear your ideas! The possibilities are endless! Give me a call! I'll be happy to design something truly unique just for you! CONTACT ME by filling out the form on the Contact Page of this website.
I often combine my Night Illusions with my full color wall murals so at night the "sky" portion of the mural glows with beautiful stars! See my Murals page!
"WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Theme close up photograph of a section of the ceiling showing a SOLAR ECLIPSE.
"WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Theme close up photograph of a section of the ceiling showing a NEBULA WITH A BLACK HOLE.
"WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Theme close up photograph of a section of the ceiling showing a SPIRAL GALAXY WITH A COMET fill out the contact form on my website for more information or a quote!
"Dear Frank and Toni,
When I first called you about the Night Illusions for my son's room I had no idea the impact you would have
on our lives. My kids love to gaze at the stars every night, they ask
to go to their rooms to see the stars. Due to my son's many medical
conditions he has a very hard time falling asleep. Watching a movie was
the only way for him to relax enough to fall asleep, NOW he falls
asleep under the stars by talking to himself about the galaxies and
different stars. Imagine my surprise when he fell asleep without the TV
on and now goes to bed earlier."
Thank You! F.F.
I accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover and Bank Cards in payment for original art, prints, murals and illusions. Click on the "Buy Now" button to enter your payment information.
Copyright 2022 Frank Wilson
For all the years that I have been creating art, I have always looked to nature for relaxation, inspiration, and creativity. I remember when I was a young man and I would hike up into the mountains to camp out under the open sky… lying under all those beautiful stars and contemplating the vastness of the universe away from the light pollution of the cities. For me it was exciting as well as soothing. I wanted a way to capture that feeling for my clients. So, In addition to fine art and custom mural work, I have been experimenting with painted illusions in the tromp l'oile tradition. One of the most amazing painted illusions that I have discovered involves the use of specially formulated, glowing phosphors to create the illusion of the starry heavens in total darkness! The mural is invisible by day, your ceiling or walls look completely normal, just as it does right now. But at night, when the lights are off it appears that your ceiling is gone and you are looking up at the most beautiful starry night sky imaginable! 
I spoke with Chad Moore about our different approaches to preserving the night sky, my work as an artist and his work as a scientist. Chad is best known for his work with night skies as the program manager for a small team of scientists that measure, restore, and promote the proper management of the night sky resource. He and team member Dan Duriscoe have developed an automated all-sky camera capable of precise measurement of light pollution. For the past two years they have been busy inventorying the night sky at several US National Parks.
With my "Starry Night" version you get a beautiful random pattern of stars in five magnitudes stretching across your ceiling. No constellations or Milky Way Galaxy just many beautiful stars glowing softly on your ceiling. I can add in some shooting stars" for an additional charge. This is my most affordable version of my Night Illusions Versions. This version is very suitable for any of the "Themes" listed below. Peaceful and serene with a very deep three dimensional effect. Looks like you reach way up into the night sky! The little minor stars even appear to twinkle! 
The "Masterpiece" version is by far my most popular Night Illusions Version. This is like ordering a pizza with "the works"! With the Masterpiece version you get as many major Constellations as I can fit on your ceiling, all in their proper astronomical postions realtive to one another. You also get the shimmering, majestic "Milky Way" Galaxy stretching across your ceiling. I even create a small "meteor shower" with a cluster of three "shooting stars"! This is the most impressive and astronomically correct version that I create! This is the view of the stars you would have in the high mountains, away from city lights and pollution. 
My exclusive "Wonders Of The Universe" Night Illusions Version is for the bold and daring! Great for home theaters and game rooms! Teens really enjoy this "deep space" theme with it's multiple colored stars, nebulae, galaxies, gas clouds, star-fields, globular star clusters and comets. To create this version on your ceiling, I need complete artistic license as the elements in this version are developed right on your ceiling as I create the illusion of the cosmos. If you wish I can create the illusion of a mysterious "Black Hole" in a Galaxy or how about a planetary "Solar Eclipse"? Or Both! 
Here is another example of my "Wonders Of The Universe" version. Each ceiling mural that I create is unique and is custom designed for the room it is in. Enjoy the wonders of the universe in your home or hotel. A wonderful addition to home theaters! Imagine how much your child or teen would enjoy sleeping in their bed under this! 
Here is the mural in normal room lighting. A beautiful nocturnal landscape of Mount Shasta in Northern California.
This is the same mural with some low level incandescent lighting in the room supplemented by a small black light. The mural has become luminious and yet you can still see the colors. 
This is the same mural with a just a small black light as the only
illumination in the room. The landscape is darkened against the
luminous sky. The stars glow brightly along with the moon.
This is the same mural photographed in TOTAL DARKNESS! The mural is emitting a soft blue light and the landscape is reduced to a black silhouette against a beautifully luminescent blue horizon. The moon and stars have disappeared. Four different murals in one depending on the lighting! 
"WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Theme close up photograph of a section of the ceiling showing a SOLAR ECLIPSE.
"WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Theme close up photograph of a section of the ceiling showing a NEBULA WITH A BLACK HOLE.
"WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Theme close up photograph of a section of the ceiling showing a SPIRAL GALAXY WITH A COMET fill out the contact form on my website for more information or a quote! 
