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 on ceilings and walls in total darkness! The ceiling mural is invisible by day, your ceiling looks 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 recently 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. Chad is 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
During the day or when the rooms lights are on your ceiling looks like it always does, normal and BORING!!!
Hotels and homeowners need not worry that it interfers with the decor!
Look at the next photo to see the same ceiling at night!
This ceiling art is called Starscpes®FX. It can only be seen in the dark. I custom paint this master tromp l'oile illusion on the ceilings and walls of bedrooms, hotels, spas, resorts and home theaters. It glows for hours slowly disappearing with the dawn of morning light just like the real stars outside.
An incredible illusion that lasts for decades!
Many children are afraid of the dark and I have found that my Starscapes®FX Illusion Murals often provide soothing comfort for the child, giving them something to focus on in the dark and sparking their curiosity about the cosmos. Many parents have reported to me that their child now loves going to bed at night so they can see the stars! I suggest the "Starry Night" or "Masterpiece" Versions.
STARSCAPES®FX provides a fun and exciting cosmic environment for children and teens, encouraging wonder and discovery. Imagine your child’s anticipation each night before turning off their bedroom light…just knowing the most awesome, starry night sky awaits them…even with shooting stars and the majestic Milky Way (if so desired). How wonderful is that? How dreamy would it be for your child to drift off to sleep while enjoying the gently glowing stars while in the comfort of their own bed? Can you see how STARSCAPES® FX can stimulate and expand your child’s imagination, creativity, and desire to learn? STARSCAPES® FX helps children overcome their fear of the dark. STARSCAPES®FX makes the perfect nightlight, (though will not illuminate the room) by giving children something wonderful to focus on as they drift off to sleep!
STARSCAPES®FX is a one-of-a-kind hand painted art. I can create very simple stargazing mural or you can have an elaborate "Deep Space" illusion that I call my "WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" theme that includes nebulas, gas clouds, spiral galaxies, a black hole, comets and even a solar eclipse! Please don’t get confused. It is nothing like the phony looking, greenish glow-in-the-dark products that kids tape to their ceilings. The star murals that I create are one-of-a-kind and hand painted. Each one is unique as I custom create each stargazing mural for the desires of my clients.
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 STARSCAPES®FX . 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 version of STARSCAPES®FX. 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" version of STARSCAPES®FX 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, starfields, 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 under something like this covering their entire ceiling!
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!
In these simple "bedroom" diagrams shown below you can get an idea of the different STARSCAPES®FX "Themes" that I can create for you using any of the above three versions!
With the circular "Stargazing Skylight" theme you get the illusion that you have a round glass skylight in your ceiling at night. Of course, it's invisible during the day or when the lights are on! I can create the circle from 4 feet in diameter up to six feet and more! I can also create rectangular skylights to match the size and shape of your bed! Prices start at just $145 installed
This is my most popular theme for hotels and homes and I think you can see why most have this theme done! I cover your entire ceiling with whatever version you choose. It appears as thought your entire ceiling is gone allowing you to look up into the beautiful starry heavens from the comfort of your own bed! You can choose any of the three versions for this theme!
With my "Room Expansion Fantasy" I will create the illusion that you are in a peaceful mountain meadow, surrounded by lofty peaks! You will see the mountains silhouetted against the majestic night sky. I strongly recommend the "Masterpiece" version with this theme for a very realistic illusion. Or you could have the "Wonders Of The Universe” version and be on another planet!
This theme is truly for the adventurous! Yes, with the "Lost in Space" theme I paint the stars on your ceiling and your walls right down to your baseboard! It looks like your on a platform floating in space! Hang onto your bedposts! Any version can be done effectively with this theme. An incredible space illusion in the dark! WOW! For the really bold I can also do your floor!
My STARSCAPES®FX "Starship Theme" will convert your bedroom or any room into a "Starship" with a view out into space from circular "portholes" placed evenly around your walls! Kids love this one! Create a "space observation room" in your home! Like all my STARSCAPES®FX versions this cannot be seen during the day or when the lights are on. This illusion only appears on your walls in total darkness! Light colored walls work the best to capture this illusion. Pictures, mirrors, etc. can be placed between the "portholes" so as not to interfere with the illusion at night. Portholes can be painted to size for each particular room. Have some fun with this one!
The Masterpiece" version is astronomically correct and comes complete with famous constellations like Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and Cassiopeia (the Queen). You will find Polaris (the North Star) and even shooting stars and the majestic Milky Way (if so desired). Your STARSCAPES®FX Owner’s Manual covers constellations commonly found in STARSCAPES®FX paintings, as well as the mythology of constellations, and amazing facts about stars, our galaxy, and the universe.
In addition to bedrooms, home theaters are perfect for STARSCAPES®FX! Look at the transformation of this home theater in the next photo below.
On ceilings that are painted a dark color or black, I use a special phosphors that can also be seen in the light as well as in the dark ... a double ceiling mural!
Imagine your home theater with the starry heavens for a ceiling! The possibilities are endless and I offers many different versions to suit everyone's budget. From a round 4' diameter "Stargazing Skylight" to full ceilings and walls with my exclusive multicolored "WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" theme.
Check out the Murals Page for more examples of my special "Day and Night" murals.
"Starlight Theater" is in a private residence. It has luxurious seating for six and has the most ncredible 3-d ceiling illusion of the stars. It is appropriately named for the illusion of the starry heavens I painted on the ceiling.
The homeowner engineered a special combination of lighting to illuminate the painting I did on the ceiling. The stars glow under all lighting conditions!
I painted the ceiling to react to all lighting
conditions and the illusion can be seen in total darkness, with partial
lighting, or even with all the rooms lights on! Ordinary florescent UV lighting fixtures are hidden behind the crown molding that surrounds the theater. There aer also white and red lighting that can be controlled from a master console. Each different light or combination of lights produces a different look to the cosmic ceiling.
In this photograph the 3-d effect is amazing even with the adjacent room being fully illumnated. The perimeter UV lighing can be seen around the edges. The UV lighting activates the special phosphors so they glow brightly even with illumination from other sources.
Looking up in a corner of the ceiling, are three shooting stars under the "red" lighting scheme on around the edge of the room. For scale note the air conditioning vent near the bottom.
The point is, I can create the illusion of the night sky in home theaters so that you are under the stars even with the lights on and the movie playing!
Would you like this for your home theater?
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" 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. 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! Give me a call ..... Frank Wilson (530) 872-5230 9:00 AM to 5 PM USA Pacific Time
Prices for a simple STARSCAPES®FX start at just $145. With three different versions and five different themes, the STARSCAPES®FX price structure can be equated to pricing landscaping your yard...there are so many options that it would be difficult for me to quote a price on the phone or via email. It would be best to arrange a free consultation in your home or hotel. At that time, I will present a quick demonstration so that you can actually see samples of the different STARSCAPES®FX themes you can choose from (photos don't do it justice!), and I will talk with you about your options and desires. You can call me at (530) 872-5230 to set an appointment. I work from Sacramento to Redding, California and beyond with travel expenses reimbursed.
I often combine STARSCAPES®FX with my full color wall murals so at night the "sky" portion of the mural glows with beautiful stars! See my Murals page!
"The search for a unique gift can be exciting and fun, and the Stargazing Ceilings™ that I create makes the process entertaining, and easy! It’s romantic for adults as it provides the perfect ambiance for romance. My star murals are educational for kids and teens who think this is “Way too Cool”! All my customers have reported that it’s so soothing and relaxing. I provide the unique service of creating planetarium quality illusions of the night sky that are invisible during the day or when the lights are on."
I not only provide personalized night skies with your favorite constellation placed exactly where you want it with the other constellations in their accurate relative positions, I can also add, if you wish, the majestic, shimmering Milky Way and some “shooting stars” for a breathtakingly realistic view of the night sky like you would see high up in the Sierras, away from city lights and pollution! Or you can have, as shown below, my deep space, "WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" Theme! Remember this cannot be seen during the day.... but when the lights are off it glows softly all night long and fades away with the morning light!
"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 Call Frank Wilson at (530) 872-5230 for a free 15 minute in home demonstration! I will show you all the possibilities you can have with my STARSCAPES®FX Murals!
is not only visually appealing, but it also ...
allows people to have positive and wholesome fun with life.
makes you feel good! Makes people fantasize and imagine.
is better than watching TV.
allows us needed moments out of our busy lives to reflect on profound ideas.
will surprise your guests and friends!
is wonderful for conversation! People are fascinated with it!
encourages people, especially children, to ask questions.
teaches children, that they too, can be creative.
is an exciting and innovative home improvement!
gives a sense of freedom and escape!
is wonderful for people who have trouble falling asleep!
is romantic, creating the perfect environment for conversation and intimacy.
is deal for the business professional.
is the perfect escape from stress, anxiety, and worry.
gives you in a peaceful state of mind.
is perfect for those who may be bedridden or lack mobility.
is the perfect sleep aid
an exciting and innovative home improvement.
helps children overcome their fear of the dark!
makes the perfect nightlight!
giving children something wonderful to focus on!
can stimulate and expand your child’s imagination!
Your STARSCAPES®FX original work of art that I can create for you is not only visually appealing, but it also reflects, and often enhances, the personality, creativity, inspiration, mind, and sometimes the genius of the person who owns it! Give me a call at (530) 872 5230 9 AM to 6 PM Monday thru Sunday Pacific Standard Time.
Dear Frank and Toni
When I first called you about the
StarcapesFX 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 2009 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 on ceilings and walls in total darkness! The ceiling mural is invisible by day, your ceiling looks 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 recently 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. Chad is 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 
During the day or when the rooms lights are on your ceiling looks like it always does, normal and BORING!!! 
This ceiling art is called Starscpes®FX. It can only be seen in the dark. I custom paint this master tromp l'oile illusion on the ceilings and walls of bedrooms, hotels, spas, resorts and home theaters. It glows for hours slowly disappearing with the dawn of morning light just like the real stars outside. 
Many children are afraid of the dark and I have found that my Starscapes®FX Illusion Murals often provide soothing comfort for the child, giving them something to focus on in the dark and sparking their curiosity about the cosmos. Many parents have reported to me that their child now loves going to bed at night so they can see the stars! I suggest the "Starry Night" or "Masterpiece" Versions.
STARSCAPES®FX provides a fun and exciting cosmic environment for children and teens, encouraging wonder and discovery. Imagine your child’s anticipation each night before turning off their bedroom light…just knowing the most awesome, starry night sky awaits them…even with shooting stars and the majestic Milky Way (if so desired). How wonderful is that? How dreamy would it be for your child to drift off to sleep while enjoying the gently glowing stars while in the comfort of their own bed? Can you see how STARSCAPES® FX can stimulate and expand your child’s imagination, creativity, and desire to learn? STARSCAPES® FX helps children overcome their fear of the dark. STARSCAPES®FX makes the perfect nightlight, (though will not illuminate the room) by giving children something wonderful to focus on as they drift off to sleep! 
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 STARSCAPES®FX . 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 version of STARSCAPES®FX. 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" version of STARSCAPES®FX 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, starfields, 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 under something like this covering their entire ceiling! 
With the circular "Stargazing Skylight" theme you get the illusion that you have a round glass skylight in your ceiling at night. Of course, it's invisible during the day or when the lights are on! I can create the circle from 4 feet in diameter up to six feet and more! I can also create rectangular skylights to match the size and shape of your bed! Prices start at just $145 installed
This is my most popular theme for hotels and homes and I think you can see why most have this theme done! I cover your entire ceiling with whatever version you choose. It appears as thought your entire ceiling is gone allowing you to look up into the beautiful starry heavens from the comfort of your own bed! You can choose any of the three versions for this theme!
With my "Room Expansion Fantasy" I will create the illusion that you are in a peaceful mountain meadow, surrounded by lofty peaks! You will see the mountains silhouetted against the majestic night sky. I strongly recommend the "Masterpiece" version with this theme for a very realistic illusion. Or you could have the "Wonders Of The Universe” version and be on another planet!
This theme is truly for the adventurous! Yes, with the "Lost in Space" theme I paint the stars on your ceiling and your walls right down to your baseboard! It looks like your on a platform floating in space! Hang onto your bedposts! Any version can be done effectively with this theme. An incredible space illusion in the dark! WOW! For the really bold I can also do your floor!
My STARSCAPES®FX "Starship Theme" will convert your bedroom or any room into a "Starship" with a view out into space from circular "portholes" placed evenly around your walls! Kids love this one! Create a "space observation room" in your home! Like all my STARSCAPES®FX versions this cannot be seen during the day or when the lights are on. This illusion only appears on your walls in total darkness! Light colored walls work the best to capture this illusion. Pictures, mirrors, etc. can be placed between the "portholes" so as not to interfere with the illusion at night. Portholes can be painted to size for each particular room. Have some fun with this one!
The Masterpiece" version is astronomically correct and comes complete with famous constellations like Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and Cassiopeia (the Queen). You will find Polaris (the North Star) and even shooting stars and the majestic Milky Way (if so desired). Your STARSCAPES®FX Owner’s Manual covers constellations commonly found in STARSCAPES®FX paintings, as well as the mythology of constellations, and amazing facts about stars, our galaxy, and the universe. 
In addition to bedrooms, home theaters are perfect for STARSCAPES®FX! Look at the transformation of this home theater in the next photo below. 
Imagine your home theater with the starry heavens for a ceiling! The possibilities are endless and I offers many different versions to suit everyone's budget. From a round 4' diameter "Stargazing Skylight" to full ceilings and walls with my exclusive multicolored "WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE" theme. 
"Starlight Theater" is in a private residence. It has luxurious seating for six and has the most ncredible 3-d ceiling illusion of the stars. It is appropriately named for the illusion of the starry heavens I painted on the ceiling. 
I painted the ceiling to react to all lighting
conditions and the illusion can be seen in total darkness, with partial
lighting, or even with all the rooms lights on!
In this photograph the 3-d effect is amazing even with the adjacent room being fully illumnated. The perimeter UV lighing can be seen around the edges. The UV lighting activates the special phosphors so they glow brightly even with illumination from other sources.
Looking up in a corner of the ceiling, are three shooting stars under the "red" lighting scheme on around the edge of the room. For scale note the air conditioning vent near the bottom.
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 Call Frank Wilson at (530) 872-5230 for a free 15 minute in home demonstration! I will show you all the possibilities you can have with my STARSCAPES®FX Murals! 
