Sean Crosby began to explore his artistic talents as a youth, experimenting with pencil drawings and small-scale acrylic paintings. He quickly developed a keen sense of observation, recognizing that geometry, value and the use of horizontal and vertical lines were the key to accurate drawings and paintings. Over the summer breaks during his high school years, Sean took weekend classes on commercial illustration at Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts in New York City, to further develop his skills as an artist. Sean also took a watercolor class, and was mesmerized by the incredible results he could achieve by layering glazed colors over a white background. He later realized this technique would play a key role in his future paintings.

After leaving high school, Sean and joined the International Brotherhood of Painter’s and Allied Trades Union in New York City. He began working as a house painter and wallpaper hanger in both residential and commercial properties. During the 3rd year of his apprenticeship, Sean observed an old-timer named Howie Zucker decorating a metal fire door using faux graining techniques. Sean was intrigued by the work Howie rendered and knew then that he wanted to shift his focus toward decorative painting. As Sean did not see the New York City housing projects as a hotbed of opportunity for decorative painting, he started up a side business, offering faux finishes to residential clients during his off-hours.

Around 1995, Sean’s side business was successful and growing, so he decided it was time to leave the comfort of his civil servant position with the housing authority and pursue his true passion as a professional decorator.  Sean took some classes on decorative painting and began intensely studying books by accomplished decorators such as Yannick Guegan and Pierre Finkelstein to try and figure out how they rendered such incredible finishes. In 1996, Sean instructed his first mural class, incorporating the tried and proven theories he had used since his childhood (geometry, value and horizontal & vertical lines), as he felt it was the best way to teach beginners. Based on the success of the class, more classes were scheduled and Sean began to teach classes on graining, marbling, trompe l’oeil, and began to create new panels for future mural classes.

In this class, students will recreate one of Michelangelo's fresco panels -- the "Libyan Sibyl" and learn the tried and proven theories Sean has used since his childhood (geometry, value and horizontal & vertical lines.) The success of this class has led to the creation of new panels for future mural classes.

The beautiful fresco panel students will learn to recreate, "Libyan Sybil" is shown below :