A Portrait of the Artist: Sally Masteller

Even as a girl, Sally Masteller was prone to embellishment. Before she started kindergarten, she’d enhanced her bedroom wallpaper by drawing more sheep into the existing pastoral scene -- though “enhanced” wasn’t the word her mother used. In church and school, she was a notorious doodler. “I just loved the feeling of the pencil moving in my hand,” she said. Finally, rather than try to curb her tendencies, her parents decided to channel her energies more constructively. At age 13, Sally started art lessons at a prestigious local museum in her hometown of Sacramento.

Soon after, Sally won first place in a national high school poster contest. From then on the awards and affirmations of her talent kept coming. Her first job after she graduated from college, where she studied both art and literature, was as art director for the Dallas firm ABHA. From there she went on to work for the Dallas Morning News. After that she illustrated children’s books, and produced more than 100 commissioned watercolors. As her talent and experience grew, so did her canvas. The first time she painted a mural on a nursery wall – as a baby gift for a friend – she’d found her métier. “That was a breakthrough. I discovered I loved to paint without the boundary of a frame.” Today, Sally Masteller is one of the best-known muralists in Southern California, creating not just art, but environments. At a recent national faux finish competition, her mural placed in the top five out of 400 entries. In addition to murals, she also paints complex faux finishes, trompe l’oeil and cartouche. The resulting custom artistic spaces don’t just delight. They transport.

Q: What do you like best about what you do?

SM: Besides being able to do what I love every day, I enjoy the synergy of working with my clients. I like the process of extracting their dreams and bringing them to life. I love to watch their faces when they see the completed work for the first time.

Q: What’s your favorite kind of project?

SM: Creating environments. I love to paint four walls and the ceiling to make you feel transported to another time and place.

Q: How do you make sure you and your clients share a vision?

SM: As my clients talk, I listen for the feeling they want from their space. When they look through my portfolio, I notice what they like and don’t like. I get a feeling for what they’re passionate about.

Q: After the consult, then what?

SM: Before we commit paint to the wall, I create a color sketch. If it’s a period piece, I research the architecture and costumes of the region to make sure they’re accurate. I don’t wing it. Together, the client and I work over the sketches to refine them, so clients know exactly what they’re getting. Depending on the subject and the size of the painted space, executing the art can take from one week to one month. Although I’m an artist, I am extremely professional about the way I work. I’m on time, on budget, and am respectful of the client’s home.

Q: What makes a mural successful?

SM: Beyond being well drawn, a successful mural has two qualities. First, it has atmosphere, and that atmosphere creates a place where you want to be. Second, it has to have a focus, a place your eye wants to dwell. But the true test, and my goal, is this: Every time the clients walk into their space, they’re delighted.

To contact Sally, click here.