Framed Art Prints and Photographs
A Little Savvy
Can Help Successfully Pull a Room Together
Art and Article by Celeste Teresi
DeSapri
Maybe you’re restricted
by an older living space with existing furnishings, or overwhelmed by the
possibilities a stark new space may offer. Maybe you’re decorating with
unlimited funds, or on a shoe string budget. What ever the circumstances,
framed art and prints can offer numerous solutions to decorating dilemmas,
and they are often key elements in bringing a room together.To use framed art
successfully, as wall décor, color, and grouping, proportions and hanging
need to be given careful consideration. Begin by thinking about the feeling
or mood you wish to convey. Consider the colors and styles of existing
furnishings, you may wish to reinforce, contrast or complement especially
those that would be difficult or costly to change, such as flooring or
bathroom fixtures. Study the space itself. Is it large and expansive, with
high ceilings, or small and intimate?
So, now that you’ve
begun thinking about mood, space, color and texture, here are some thoughts
about materials and tools. If conservation is an important concern, the
matting material should be one hundred percent acid free rag board. This is
what museums use. Double mats may work well in situations where you want to
maximize an accent color. The accent colored mat is usually placed under the
lighter mat so only about one sixteenth to one quarter inch (about three to
five centimeters) of it shows. Mats are usually four ply, but thicker, eight
ply mats can really draw in the eye. They work best with photos and very
small prints. Silk mats may be used in more formal and classic situations.
If a mat is not used there are spacers, called fillets that may be used to
prevent the piece from touching the glass. This prevents condensation from
forming. UV glass does not prevent, but will cut down the amount of fading,
over time. Always make sure your mat and frame are not distracting the
viewer's eye away. They should compliment the piece, not compete for
attention. And, finally, I suggest a level and a good sturdy hammer, if
you’re doing the hanging yourself.
Careful hanging,
relationships, and grouping will help give a professional look. Unity is
most important in bringing a display of pictures, prints and photographs
together. Grouping frames for your walls are will give character to the
setting. Frames in the same color and finishes unify a collection, even if
pictures are of various shapes and sizes. Framing different subjects with
the same color mount also helps unity.
Placing all the
items you wish to group, for a particular wall, on the floor in that room is
an easy way to visualize a plan. You can rearrange the items until you are
satisfied. Then, step back and check the arrangement before going to the
wall. Remember a consistent spacing factor between each item is important.
Picture cords and large hooks can be hidden under bell cords, ribbons and
decorative rosettes. For formal settings, chains can hang pictures on
traditional picture rods. Large, bold pictures can be further away, in more
open rooms. Small detailed pictures should be hung in intimate halls and
baths. The most common error made in hanging pictures is to hang them too
high. Standing eye level of an average person is fine for halls and
entryways. In living and dinning rooms, pictures should be at eye level when
seated.
Celeste is a freelance artist who
earned her BFA degree, with a major in illustration and a minor in
portraiture, from the Cleveland Institute of Art and whose works can be
found online at: The
Northern Ohio Illustrator's Society
For more works of art, please visit our
Art Gallery of
Fine Prints and Posters
from CrookedWall.com.
Home to over 100,000 art prints and posters, easily sort able by artist and
style.
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