Finding wall space is, indeed, challenging, particularly as we downsize. Another strategy is to hang pieces both higher and lower than the standard 5' on center, in addition to salon-style, seasonal rotations, utilizing kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and stairways. When we can, we like to hang pieces that can have "conversations" either near each other or facing across a room or hallway. The pieces may have some common element or completely different appearances. Format, colors, or scale might be a common element or the basis of a conversation. Meeting these challenges in different apartments, homes, and occasionally, galleries has given me a greater appreciation of a well-curated exhibition. That said, I firmly believe that visual art needs to be seen--even if conditions are not ideal.
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Grouped by color, artworks (clockwise center start) Oddfellows Banner, Zarah Hussain, Harriet Salt, Charlotte Hardy, and Giselle Potter
Enjoying a Growing Art Collection
“I love that painting, but I don’t have space on my walls.” I found myself saying recently. This is ironic because we just moved to a new home with plenty of wall space… and the truth is there is always room for one more. Digging a little deeper, I realized that as a result of our move, I was feeling burdened by too many possessions. I still had artwork and books packed in boxes, and felt like adding anything else would be too much. Upon further reflection I realized that this way of thinking might be a mistake. It’s not how much you have in collecting art, it’s how you hang it. Here are some ways to live with a growing art collection:
Change with the seasons:
When living with art, I have come to realize that it isn’t necessary to hang everything you own. In fact it is better to have a seasonal rotation. This works well because we stop “seeing” things when we become accustomed to them. My friend Hitch Lyman has a wonderful art collection, and there is new work on his walls almost every time I visit. He keeps a seasonal rotation, hanging a warm colored oil painting of goldenrod on the wall in the fall, and then changing to something with icy blues and white that echoes the stark landscape outside in the winter. The paintings that are out of rotation are sitting on the floor, their faces turned away leaning on the wall. His style is casual, but it works in his shabbily elegant home. I never fail to “see” the art, because it is always changing. In my house I’ve made space in a closet for my out of season art collection. I just need to remember to change things up once in a while.
For collections of smaller work there are a couple of options:
Group by color:
In my home, I like to have pieces grouped by color. Blue paintings in one area, pink in another. Sometimes it’s nice to match the color scheme of the room, and other times it works to contrast with the colors of the walls. I have a bathroom with dark teal walls, and the art theme in there is tropical oranges and greens.
Group by subject matter:
A collection of landscape paintings, a grouping of dog portraits, paintings of fruit, you get the picture?
Anemone Paintings by Stephen Doherty and Hitch Lyman
Salon Style:
This is when you fill the wall floor to ceiling with work hanging close together. To do this successfully, it helps to have a common thread in the work- maybe it is a wall of line drawings, or a wall of colorful geometrics. Or the common thread could be mixing it up,each piece being completely different and the only thread being that they were chosen by you because you loved them.
Unexpected places:
On a book shelf- even hanging over books sometimes…
Don’t forget the bathroom!
The confined space of a small bathroom or powder room can allow for viewing small pieces up close. Just remember to take into consideration the potential effects of moisture in the air when deciding what to hang in the bathroom. Especially if there is a shower or bathtub in the room.
Artwork by Domenica Brockman
Hallways:
It is ideal to be able to get an unobstructed view of an artwork from at least a few feet away, but in the case of a hallway, that’s not always possible. In long hallways you can go one of two ways. One option is to hang small detailed work at eye level, where it can be admired up close as you pause in the hallway. The other is to consider medium to large bright bold images, the color and shapes will still “read”, and can really open and enliven a confined space.
Kitchens:
I have a painting of a grapefruit that has lived over my stove in four different homes for more than 20 years. Thanks to being framed under glass, this watercolor on paper has survived 20 years of cooking grease, and still looks amazing. (I do clean the glass from time to time.) Cooking grease can do a lot of damage to artwork, so do be mindful of where you hang the work and how it is protected (under glass is ideal.)
Artwork by Lofton True
Do you have any suggestions for how to live with a growing art collection? If so, I’d love to hear them- please comment below.
