Urban Mirage: John Pugh's three-dimensional murals.

The Monumental Murals Of John Pugh is a fascinating book by Kevin Bruce on the work of a contemporary master of trompe l'oeil illusion.

















" John Pugh" says Bruce, "has created a stimulating and enlightening venue for both public and private art. His murals have been instrumental in revitalizing the trompe l'oeil genre as a vital mode of artistic expression that is both aesthetically and intellectually challenging. By the synthesis of deception and enlightenment Pugh has legitimatised and expanded the horizons of the trompe l'oeil mural. He has created a truly monumental body of work and an artistic style worthy of its own descriptive expression: Narrative Illusionism."














"Slowin' Down to Take a Look" in Winslow , Arizona. 
Included, of course, is "a girl, my lord, in a flat bed Ford slowin'down to take a look at me."












Looks like a nice spot to rest your weary feet on a sidewalk in front of the Sarasota County Health Center, Florida.











Twenty-Nine Palms, California . "Valentine" the bull and a patient buzzard are waiting for the artist to wake. (Again. they are all part of the picture!)














'Bay in a Bottle', Santa Cruz, California. The passer-by is part of the mural.


This mural at the Cafe Trompe L'oeil, San Jose, is entitled "Art Imitating Life Imitating Art Imitating Life".
This customer doesn't leave at closing time (she's part of the painting).














Honolulu , Hawaii . This mural took two months of studio work to plan and another six months to execute with the help of eleven other artists. Featured are Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, and Duke Kahanamoku, the ultimate father of surfing.



Taylor Hall, California State University, Chico , California . The Doric columns are actually nothing but paint.

Main Street, Los Gatos , California . Even the woman peering into the ruin is part of the mural.