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DECORATIVE PAINTING
by
Bill Graffis
Decorative painting contains a
broad category of decorative finishes, such as, patinas, faux
finishes, trompe l'oeil, gilding, and murals. One the most misused
words today is "faux", being substituted for decorative
finishes or patinas. To the decorative painter, faux means
"fake" and represents painting a natural or manmade material
such as a marble, wood, semi-precious stone, leather, tile, etc.
The modern day definition of
"patina" represents a wide ra nge of finishes like sponging, rag
rolling, color washing, aging, etc. (And yes, I'm as guilty as
the next person, I use "wall glazing" in place of "patina".
Glazing is the action of doing the finish.)
The benefits of using decorative
finishes in any interior design scheme can easily be seen when a
rare marble or exotic wood is rendered with paint for a fraction
of the cost of the real thing. Such decorative finishes can be
painted on nearly any surface with very few limitations.
An added benefit to using
decorative finishes as opposed to using the real thing is the
artist's ability to alter colors to match existing room colors.
This would not be possible if you're using a natural marble or
stained wood.
Adding painted architectural
elements to one's interior design is another benefit in using
decorative finishes. Trompe l'oeil (a French word meaning "to
fool your eye") can, in fact, solve architectural design
problems, or accentuate architectural elements making an
ordinary room, extraordinary.
For example, if you can't find
the right size column, base, and capital, or the right style of
column, or it may not come in a certain color of marble, the
problem is solved with a trompe l'oeil technique. Want to create
a door way to add another dimension to a room, visually expand a
room, or play a trick on your pet? Using a trompe l'oeil
technique can help to do just that.
Decorative painting is more than
just appealing to the eye, there is real value added to your
home, just as there is real value in painting your home to
protect it's exterior. In addition, there is the emotional value
of a visually pleasing design done well.
This
article was written by Bill Graffis of
Alla Prima Studios |
