Art Collecting and Gallery Walls
New to Collecting? Things to help you get started:
1. Look before you buy. Start learning about what you like by first looking at a lot of art with online resources like Instagram and Pinterest. Then, get out and actually see art in person. Visit museums and galleries, no matter what their size. Be inspired and start to figure out what it is that speaks to you.
2. Learn about reproductions. Prints are great if you have a limited budget, but not all prints are equal. Know the differences between original art, prints, fine art prints, limited edition prints, giclee prints and posters. Here’s a great run down of the differences.
3. Buy what you like. Don’t buy art because you think it matches your sofa. Buy it because it grabs your attention. Buy art that speaks to you or brings back pleasant memories. Another fun way to build your collection is to seek out local art when you travel.
4. Start small. Limited budget or wall space? Consider building a smallworks collection with several smaller pieces from different artists. Mix & match styles and mediums to create an eclectic collection. It’s perfectly fine to mix a vintage landscape with a contemporary illustration, or a colorful abstract expressionist work with folk art. See my tips and tricks below for ideas on how to create a gallery wall (or gallery room) in your space.
5. Mix fine art with kid art. When hanging a collection, don’t forget that kids make some pretty terrific stuff. Pop a favorite school project into a nice frame and hang it right next to your ‘important’ art.
6. Have fun hanging your work. Look at eclectic, classical or salon-style gallery wall configurations to see possible combinations, then add your own twist. Hang small works in your powder room to create a mini art gallery. Lean art against the bottom of a wall – or on your entry table. Experiment!
Gallery Wall tips & tricks
1. There are many great areas around your home to create a gallery wall:
Over a bed.
Down a narrow hall.
Over the dining room buffet.
The powder room.
Over the sofa
On your TV Wall * incorporating the tv within the grid.
On a narrow wall between two windows.
Entry way… and on and on.
2. If you already have a lot of smaller art works, lay everything out so you can see it all at once. Determine how much room your work is going to take up and figure out the space you’re going to hang it. You can also continue around a corner.
3. Once you’ve laid everything out, determine what the dominant anchor piece is. It’s a good idea to have at least one piece that is a little larger than the others. Place this piece at eye level and build around that.
4. If you aren’t sure how the configuration will look, you can cut out different size pieces of kraft paper to represent artwork and tape them (with painters tape) to the wall. This takes a little longer, but works well if you aren't’ the ‘wingin’-it type’. Alternatively, place painter's tape on the floor based on your measurements and rearrange your art until it feels right to you.
5. You can use many other fill-in pieces that you’ve collected (temporarily or not.) Kids art looks great matted and framed next to your other ‘real’ art works. Postcards from your travels tucked into a frame can fill in spaces until you acquire other original art. Unframed or three-dimensional pieces on a small shelf also add interest.
6. For a more consistent look, use one to two colors of frames. If you’re the more adventurous type, you can mix and match indefinitely.
7. If you have one of those walls that builders have randomly placed door bells, light switches and thermostats, you can camouflage these things by making them part of your grid. (Why, why, why do they do this? We may never know!)
8. Nothing is permanent. Have fun with your collection. Your gallery wall will and should change over time. Embrace the wabi sabi nature of imperfection and enjoy your art.
Happy collecting!
Interested in some of my small works? Take a look at my Fragments collection and add something to your wall today.