The use of interior or exterior architectural art glass is a decorative art form. Art glass embellishes a space with beauty, pattern, texture, emotion, and even an image or picture. Its use contributes to how we feel and function in an environment.
Decorative art transforms a space by creating a perception of a space. Beauty can be presented in a quiet or spectacular way to create calm or excitement in addition to a connection to a theme.
Pattern and texture with an energy of their own can be used as a connection to architectural or other interior design themes such as science, nature, or industry. Studies have shown that biophilic design, (a design that provides a human connection to nature) increases productivity by contributing to peoples’ psychological and physiological health and well-being in a positive built environment.
In glass artwork, this can be achieved through the use of color, material, and design. Decorative art in its many aesthetic forms can be colorful or neutral, pure and simple, or a highly detailed representation of an image or symbol. In general, decorative art glass is appreciated for its beauty and sometimes its function in diffusing or obscuring a view, or harnessing daylight and an open feeling while dividing space.
While fine art generally has a deeper meaning or story that is being told, decorative art glass also is fine art.
Here are some examples of what might first appear to be designs that focus solely on beauty, yet they have a function within the spaces they occupy. For the owners of the space, the designs are imbued with a personal story and a much deeper meaning.