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A small sample of some of Mike's splitstone work. Camp Hidden Boulder at right. |
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Contact InformationPlease feel free to contact us with any questions you have. We can be reached by phone or email: Phone: 1-(231)-599-3027 Email: miragemarble@torchlake.com. Builders, Decorators, Contractors, Homeowners, and Business owners welcome. Commericial and Residential painting is available. Proudly serving the United States of America. Thank you for stopping by, Mike Wranesh |
About UsThe founder and owner of Mirage Marble Faux Finishes is Mike Wranesh. Mike spent the better part of 24 years as a stonemason. His stone creations can still be found all over Michigan, parts of Colorado, Texas, and in Southern California. Although his stonemasonry skills are still sought after, Mike’s passion now lies in faux painting. He can now be found with a paint brush in his hands. Mike has been doing faux finishes for twelve years now. He discovered faux painting while living in West Bloomfield in Southern Michigan. Not satisfied with just regular paint on the walls, he experimented with feather dusters and rag rolling. Before long he was hooked, as the amazement at being able to alter the color and texture of interior walls gave him the sense of enjoyment and satisfaction he was looking for. Although this new-found trade was very satisfying to him, Mike had to keep up with the vigorous schedule of running his stone business single-handed, so the faux painting had to be put on the shelf. He would end up moving to the Torch Lake area of Northern Michigan. Here his stone career continued to prosper, but still Mike couldn’t stop thinking about faux painting. He could be found painting at night, experimenting with different colors and methods he read about and thought up himself, stumbling on some great techniques through trial and error. Then one night, totally by accident, Mike discovered a few techniques that really resembled marble. Upon further experimenting he discovered these new-found approaches could be mass produced, and that he could transform ordinary walls to appear as if they were sheets of marble. Although these methods were not traditional, Mike pushed forward and began to transform the walls of his house into works of art that looked as if they had needed a crane to place them, when in fact they were just ordinary drywall. In 2004 Mike decided to re-model his 700 sq. ft. bungalow into a much more spacious home. All the walls were gutted and a new home was constructed, giving Mike the opportunity he had been waiting for: large bare walls in need of marbling. He marbled his house during the winter of 2005--finally a chance to work the bugs out of his painting process. The walls turned out great, and Mike enjoyed the opportunity to use earth tones to create these pieces. He has never seen anything like these walls, but knows who to contact to get a truly one-of-a-kind look that he desired on his walls! Up until 2006 Mike was totally self-taught, but not satisfied that his new painting technique was all the world had to offer, he decided to start taking art classes. To further his career, he visited Las Vegas and Orlando and learned how to do some of the most sought-after techniques. In these schools Mike learned how to do both acrylic and lime-based plasters. He also learned how to do embossed lace, stone effects, marbling, wood graining, and many other techniques and theories about faux painting. What started out as a basement project has grown into a wonderful business as a faux artisan. Mike is grateful for the opportunity to offer these skills and knowledge to his customers. |
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A small sample of some of Mike's splitstone work. Camp Hidden Boulder at right. |
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