TERMS & DEFINITIONS
Murals: A painting of any style that is applied to and made integral with a wall or ceiling surface. Techniques can include Fine Art styles like Impressionism or Abstracts, modern reinterpretations of ancient frescoes, graphics, cartoon & kiddie-styles, photorealistic reproduction or any style of personal favor.
Trompe L'oeil: A French term meaning "mislead the eye" which applies to a technique of painting any surface in a way that can fool viewers into thinking they are seeing something three-dimensional or "real." Common examples include painting a flat surfaces to appear as if there is a real door, a view through a window or into another room, elegant moldings, a sky with clouds and birds, items on a desktop or even a fly on the wall. Three dimensional surfaces, such as pillars, shelves and fireplace surrounds can also be enhanced with trompe l'oiel finishes (commonly called "faux" finishes) that appear real to life such as granite, woodgrain and marble.
"Faux" Finishes: A specific style of trompe l'oiel (as mentioned above) in which paints, stains, glazes or other materials are manipulated with various tools to create the illusion that it is fabricated from another substance. Common examples include, granite, woodgrain and marble. Faux finishes can also recreate the looks such as a new frescoe or a distressed wall that has weathered many years.
Textured Finishes: Includes all finishes that apply materials for the purposse of creating physically tactile variations on a surface, such as applications of plaster, sand and paper, etc.
Designer Finishes: Paints, stains, glazes or other materials are used in various different methods for a variety of styles and colors not typically represented in natural elements. Common styles range from subtle even coverages such as color-washing, dragging and sponging to detailed patterns such as combing, flogging and ragging and also includes more graphical techniques such as striping and color blocking.
Stenciling: Using a cut-out pattern or image for exact duplication, paints, stains and glazes are used to create decorative details. Common usages are accenting borders, friezes and all-over patterns.
Window Painting: Specialty paints can be used to decorate any glass surface, including windows. Transparent paints can simulate the effect of stained glass, temporary paints can create seasonal decorations and permanent paints can create custom business signage.
Free-standing Art: This term is used to describe any work of art that is not an integral part of a structure's surfaces such as painted canvases, photography and sculptures.