Portfolio
Murals
Trompe l'oeil Pompeii Floor Mosaic. Painted canvas floor cloth, approx. 5′ × 5′, acrylic on prepared canvas, sealed with flexible varnish. The composition is original; some smaller elements are borrowed from existing Roman mosaics. The octopus is Adrian Card's own original copyrighted design.
Murals and painted interiors that transform a room into a living expression of historical ornament.
From intimate cabinet rooms to grand salon walls, Adrian Card brings the same historical rigor and painterly sensitivity to mural work that he applies to instruments and furniture. Drawing on 17th and 18th century sources — grotesques, arabesques, trompe l'oeil, and floral compositions — he creates interiors that feel both authentically historical and entirely alive.
What began as an original hand-painted floor cloth has had a rather unexpected second life on the internet. Over the years, images of my octopus design have circulated widely, sometimes appearing on merchandise and other products without my permission. More remarkably, the artwork has repeatedly been identified online as an ancient Roman mosaic excavated at Pompeii, with some accounts even claiming that it resides in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.
In fact, the octopus is my own original contemporary artwork, designed and painted by hand. No ancient mosaic of this particular design has been documented, despite the remarkably persistent stories surrounding it.
Apparently, my octopus has acquired a history of its own—one that predates its actual creation by nearly two thousand years!
Projects
Murals
Mayan Bathroom Mural →
Scarlet macaws, trompe l'oeil stonework, and a jungle panorama with the Temple of Tikal.
Murals
Chinoiserie Victorian Ceiling →
A San Francisco Victorian dining room ceiling, as seen in The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019).
Murals
Victorian Hall Ceiling →
An elaborate ornamental ceiling in pale blue, sage green, and ochre for a Mission District residence.
Murals
Anthemion Sitting Room →
Greek anthemion ceiling ornament in warm rose tones, designed to complement the period wallpaper.
Murals
Art Nouveau Sitting Room →
A complete environment inspired by Victor Horta — walls, ceiling, and floor cloth unified by continuous Art Nouveau line work.
Murals
Neo-classical Sitting Room →
Painted ceiling ornament with neoclassical banding and a central medallion in a Victorian interior.
Murals
Faux Stone Stairway and Hall →
Plain plaster walls transformed into dressed limestone through trompe l'oeil stonework.
Murals
Mosaic Floor Cloth →
A painted floor cloth after the Roman tessellated tradition — Greek key border, central octopus medallion, and scattered sea creatures.