"Wall Sculptor" Turns Drywall Into Art

Wall Sculptor Turns Drywall Into Art BUILDINGS Miscellaneous Professional drywaller Peter Levijoki also likes to draw and carve So when a homeowner he was working for asked for something artistic on one wall he came up with his first “wall sculpture” That was way back in 1984 and marked the beginning of a whole new career turning drywall compound into art on walls and ceilings Levijoki’s pieces cover the gamut of nature scenes and he’ll do custom scenes like a musher and his sled dog team a little girl with her horse or a custom farm scene The wall sculptures look like they were pushed out from the other side of the wall “I do a lot of vaulted walls and ceilings where pictures don’t look good ” Levijoki says “Some homes have walls made just for my sculptures ” He mixes ordinary drywall compounds to get the right consistency that won’t crack Most sculptures are only raised about an inch but he can go up to 2 in thick Levijoki sculpts with knives paint brushes and whisk brooms to get the design and texture he wants He outlines and makes fine details with a cake decorator bag The sculptures are painted the same color as the wall Lights can help bring them to life Levijoki recalls a request to make a zebra and wondered how he could make it so it didn’t look like a horse He contoured lines for the stripes and a light cast shadows that made it look black and white Another client requested an oak tree wrapped around an archway with birds in the limbs To the customer’s delight Levijoki hid extra birds squirrels and even a frog for her to find among the leaves and branches Besides covering big sections of wall he often does smaller accent pieces such as ivy winding around a pantry He also makes panels that can be hung on a wall like a painting Levijoki’s favorite thing to do is make wall sculptures that tie into his personalized ceiling stamps He’s patented 36 designs to make each room unique – everything from cedar branches and dainty flowers to island palms and old-fashioned tin press designs He charges $1/sq ft for his ceiling prints and is working on franchising the stamps Wall sculptures are priced on an individual basis and Levijoki is willing to travel He notes that he doesn’t do portraits or copyrighted designs He works with clients’ designs or he has more than 200 drawings to choose from Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Peter Levijoki Texture Art 19772 295th Ave Detroit Lakes Minn 56501 ph 605 880-8833; www texture-art com

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