Things to Avoid When Preparing to Hang Artwork and Photography
CategoriesFine Art
You aren’t sure how to hang art, so you’ve hired us to come hang some pieces for you. Now what? Time to choose your locations. Here are some things to avoid or at least to think about when you’re making your decision.
Many people believe you must hang items on a stud, but that is simply not true. So don’t stress about trying to find the stud or measuring to make sure we’ll be in the right vicinity of one. We have all the hardware needed for hanging items (even the heavy ones) in places other than on a stud. Drywall is actually just fine as long as you have the correct equipment and hardware….and we do!
Things to Avoid
Avoid covering architectural features like stonework or brickwork. Let those serve as art themselves. There is no reason to hide them or detract from architecture, not to mention the detraction from the artwork itself.
Avoid hanging horizontally-shaped items on vertical spaces. You should likewise avoid hanging vertically-shaped items in horizontal spaces. It looks awkward and detracts from the work you’re trying to display.
Never, ever, ever hang artwork outside. No prints, no paper, no canvas, no nothing. And to be clear this includes any paintings, prints, and drawings. They absolutely must be climate controlled. We have seen beautiful works of art utterly destroyed by the elements, no matter how well-protected they have been.
Lastly, this is simply our professional opinion as artists, but we advise against hanging art or photography near televisions because it takes away from the artwork. Conversely, the artwork can be a distraction from the television as well. So either choose art or the TV, but don’t hang both near each other.
These are rules of thumb, but feel free to break the rules if it suits you. Following these aesthetics, however, creates a pleasant space for displaying your artwork and photography.
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