Even if you’ve never run for any politi

Photo courtesy Julia Noss

By Scott McKimmy Toledo Free Press Staff Writer news@toledofreepress.com

Wandering through the Toledo home of muralist Julia Noss might have casual observers wondering if they’ve stepped into another dimension. Noss paints murals and faux finishes with such striking detail, they beg to ask, “Is it live, or is it Julia?”

Recently named runner-up in the Decorative Painting Contest by Today’s Creative Home Arts, her winning piece, “Painted Area Rug,” appeared in the April issue.

Noss uses a tedious process of painting murals to create an effect known as trompe l’oeil, or trick of the eye to make the walls come alive. Typical projects require 12 to 18 hours; however, those on a grander scale, such as the entire stage area at the Funny Bone Comedy Club in South Bend, Ind., can occupy a full week.

Noss originals can be viewed as far away as Rochester, NY, and locally in Parade of Homes tours and businesses such as Rock well’s and Mutz at the Oliver. Her latest venture involves marbling a two-story entryway in a home at The Quarry in Maumee.

Trickier yet, according to Mark McKarus, owner of Or chard Hill Home Builders Inc. in Sylvania, may be her ability to consistently complete project after project without any assis tance. McKarus commissioned Noss to paint four areas in his home, including an “Old World” effect in the kitchen using dry wall compound to simulate a dilapidated appearance.

Debbie Hasty of Maumee said that she has relied on Noss for more than four years to enhance the ambiance of her French country home.

Noss has created many faux finishes, including a giant bowl of spaghetti, a wheat pattern, an antique bath tub and a clothesline with kids’ wear in the laundry room. Such extensive embellishments, Hasty said, has changed the way she views her home.

“I don’t want to move from this house because she has personalized it so much for me,” Hasty said.

Several years ago, at an Indian restaurant in Bonn, a friend took a phone from his pocket and snapped a photo of my Rogan Josh.

This was before cell phonescum-Instamatics were ubiquitous. My friend worked for a telcomm and was ahead of the curve on stuff like that.

I looked at the snapshot. It was bad. But instead of deleting it, he took a PDA from another pocket and told me to hold it. Then he punched a few buttons on the phone. Lo and behold, the handheld computer lit up with the same mediocre image.

My friend is a Stanford physicist trained in quantum science. But at that moment the look on his face resembled the Cheshire Cat’s. Sending a wireless photo of spicy mutton across a tabletop was not, to judge from his mirth, all that dif ferent from putting a man in space. “Cool, yes?” he smiled.

My response was skeptical. “Just because you can,” I said, “doesn’t mean you should.”

Now — for a price — and gen erally a lot of set-up aggravation — you can use your phone to surf smut, check airline arrivals or watch Simpsons snippets. You can e-mail play-by-play video of your baby’s first steps, get stock quotes or bid on that must-have Elvis Keeping up with technology