Tole Painting

Tole is decorative painting. Originally Tole painted works of art were done on tin. Over the years, artists have expanded their "canvas of choice" to include virtually any surface including fabric, paper, wood, glass, plastic and metal. Tole painting includes many different styles ranging from very simple to very ornate. Simple bird houses and garden signs are often Tole painted. T-Shirts, clay pots and resin pieces are easily decorated and therefore often chosen by beginning Tole painters. More advanced styles include Baulernmaleri, Rosemaling and Tromp L'oiel to name a few. Both Baulernmaleri and Rosemaling originate from the Scandinavian Countries. Baulernmaleri is simplistic floral designs accomplished primarily with basic strokes. Rosemaling adds more detail (shading and highlighting) and linework to the basic stroke designs. Tromp L'oiel is one of the most advanced forms of Tole. This style allows a flat surface to look three dimensional. Done most often on wood, this style is seen most commonly in movie sets, at theme parks such as Disneyland, and as wall murals.

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