Key Mediums and Styles

Illusion Glass: Our signature innovation, this technique mimics the elegance of stained glass and ancient cloisonné through a meticulous nine-step process we developed. Each piece features over four feet of hand-wired leading, layered with hand-painted designs, gemstones, glass beads, European crystals, pearls, and various metals. Examples include artistic glassworks depicting tigers, turtles swimming through oceanic scenes, peacocks in vibrant gardens, snowballs, local flora, and sailboats on blue waters. These works often hang from decorative hand-braided wire frames or customized stands with dangling crystals, creating dynamic light play that enhances their illusory quality. The process takes over four days per piece, involving careful layering to achieve durability and visual depth, with considerations for light refraction and color stability over time.

Epoxy Resin Creations: We embed wildlife and natural elements into epoxy tables, slabs, and dioramas, creating functional art like river-inspired side tables with embedded shells, moss, taxidermized and miniature creatures. These pieces explore transparency and encapsulation, preserving organic materials while adding modern gloss. Ensuring epoxy cures without bubbles or yellowing requires precise environmental controls, making each a testament to technical mastery.

Various Clay Sculptures: Sandra’s expertise shines in detailed miniatures, such as colorful shotgun houses transformed into soap dispensers, bird feeders, or planters, adorned with fleur-de-lis, crowns, and Mardi Gras beads. These whimsical yet intricate works highlight Louisiana architecture, with nuances like textured roofs and tiny porches that invite close inspection. We consider scalability—small pieces for everyday decor versus larger installations—and material safety for functional items.

Pyrography and Wood Art: Mark’s wood-burning techniques bring to life nature scenes on live-edge slabs, like turtles basking on logs amid bluebonnets or serene bayous with bridges and peacocks. We incorporate mixed media, adding paints, moss, and epoxy ponds for 3D effects. Larger works, such as swamp dioramas on cypress wood, blend carving, painting, and modeling to create immersive environments.

Dioramas and Themed Sculptures: Standout pieces include detailed replicas like the New Orleans streetcar on a grassy base, complete with rails and lighting, or the “Arrival of King Rex” Mardi Gras float diorama, capturing a parade under live oaks with a horse, crowds, and an ornate float. These narrative-driven works use clays, foils, woods, and beadwork to recreate historical moments, considering viewer perspectives (e.g., street-level views) and lighting for dramatic impact.

Painted Table Tops and Wall Art: From luminous painted wall panels to functional painted table tops, this collection showcases the wide-ranging talents of Mark and Sandra Young at Art Illusions by Young. Working on wood, metal, and other carefully prepared surfaces, we combine pyrography, layered acrylic painting, and high-clarity epoxy to create three-dimensional depth and vibrant luminosity that brings each composition to life.

Whether depicting schools of vibrant butterfly koi and fantail goldfish gliding through lily pads on a painted metal wall panel, a serene koi pond captured with rich detail on wood as a painted side table, or a dynamic underwater scene with rocks and aquatic plants preserved under crystal-clear epoxy, each work balances technical precision with artistic storytelling. Metallic paints enhance light play and glow, while careful layering of pigments and resin creates the illusion of moving water, floating leaves, and living creatures viewed from multiple angles.

This category extends far beyond koi and goldfish. We craft custom painted pieces featuring Louisiana wildlife, abstract color studies, and personal commissions — each transformed into durable, archival-quality functional art or compelling wall installations. Every painted table top and wall piece is individually handcrafted in our Folsom, Louisiana studio, ensuring no two are ever identical.

These works celebrate the marriage of natural and prepared surfaces, meticulous painting techniques, and modern epoxy resin, offering both everyday utility and lasting artistic presence for homes, offices, and collectors who appreciate Louisiana-inspired craftsmanship with broad creative range.

Our approach emphasizes sustainability—sourcing reclaimed wood and eco-friendly resins—while addressing challenges like material compatibility (e.g., epoxy adhesion to wood) and market trends toward personalized, experiential art.