Dominique & Marit Ciancio

The Painted Screen

Decorative painter

©Inigo Taylor

Screens of theatrical beauty

Dominique & Marit transform materials into theatre-like backdrops
Dominique's first piece was a painted cupboard fit for the theatre
The Painted Screen’s workshop opened in 2006

Dominique Ciancio and Marit Lurås are a husband and wife team running a small workshop that creates unique, hand painted folding screens. Dominique is a full-time artist and has a background in art conservation and restoration. He graduated in History of Art and Philosophy at the University of Malta, and completed a four-year diploma course in Fine Arts at the Malta School of Art. He then went on to work within theatre and film before relocating to Norway for a time. He had a variety of teachers to learn from and studying the ‘old masters’ and artifacts from different civilizations have been a great influence. Marit comes from a family background of folk artists in Norway and has also worked in museums there. They share a common passion for the arts, history and story telling. While Dominique is the master painter, they develop their ideas together. The Painted Screen is a combination of their aesthetic visions.

Interview

©Inigo Taylor

©Inigo Taylor

What do you believe makes your work unique?: Perhaps our strength lies in being versatile and being able to create a variety of styles that invoke different moods and atmospheres. We like to think of the folding screens as small theatre backdrops. Each folding screen sets a different scene and can transport you to a place of imagination.
Why did you step into this craft?: Since I was a child, I had a fascination with painted furniture. I used to make little models of clocks with my grandfather who had his own tailor's shop. From my background in art conservation and restoration, I also had a fascination with painted surfaces. The moods that different colours and textures evoke is ultimately what propelled me to look deeper into this craft.
What are your specific skills?: I am a classically trained painter, while my experience on film sets taught me how to quickly create backdrops and faux-painting effects to imitate a great variety of surfaces such as marble, metals and wood. My wife grew up surrounded by folk art and hand painted furniture, so her perception of colour is valuable.
Why did you choose to paint folding screens?: It was actually because of the limited space that I had in my workshop back in Oslo. I had also noticed folding screens in films, but they were difficult to come by, particularly those in the European painting tradition. They can quickly transform a common space into something much more, somewhere beautiful for the imagination.

Dominique & Marit Ciancio are expert artisans: they began their career in 2004