Cloud Ceiling Murals

Instructor: Lynne Rutter | Date: TBD
Class Status:
Waitlist Available

cloudscape ceiling mural painted in the westin st francis hotel san francisco approx 650 square feet

Cloudscape ceiling mural painted in the Westin St. Francis hotel in San Francisco

One of the most popular and versatile murals you can paint, cloudscapes can be painted as beautiful soaring ceilings on their own, or serve as the base for grand figurative or architectural murals. A well painted cloud ceiling mural can raise up the ceiling and create the illusion of height, and enliven the architecture while bringing color and a sense of light to the room.


In this intensive workshop, learn techniques for painting decorative cloud ceilings that are artful, colorful, and surprisingly fast to produce. We'll explore various aspects of good design such as composing cloudscapes of different shapes and sizes to suit the proportions of the ceiling, and creating color palettes for tailoring the mural to the room and its decor. Avoid the trap of painting "flying boulders" and create skies that are luminous and airy.

  • Practice painting technique at full scale in a working mural studio

  • Designing compositions for rectangular or "tray" ceilings

  • Creating palettes for different colors and "moods" of skies - allowing for more expressive and painterly murals.

  • Matching colors of cloudscapes to work with the interior design of the room

  • Advanced cloud composition: designing for domes, round,or oblong ceilings

  • Designing clouds to use with figures or as part of more complicated ceiling murals

  • Marouflage techniques for adding figures or birds into a ceiling or for installing a canvas mural in general.

  • Participants will create their own unique full-scale cloudscape panels.

Class Fee: TBD

Includes: all paint and materials used in class, full-size mural panels, detailed class notes.

Location: Lynne Rutter Studio | 2325 3rd St. #207, San Francisco, CA (map)

Schedule: 9:30AM - 5:30PM, with a lunch break

Reservations: The next session for this class is pending. Join the wait list to be notified when it’s available! Click here to add your name. Instructions and updates will be emailed to you.

Feel free to email the studio with any questions.

Cloudscape mural designed for an 18 foot diameter domed ceiling in tones of peach gray and violet

Lynne Rutter demonstrating cloud painting techniques