ldakersArtist Amylee puts it so well: “a painting has to be pampered!” And to explain it to us, she has given the following advice…
Where To Hang Your Art? 5 Things You Need To Know
In interior design, more than elsewhere, there are no rules, and those that exist only ask to be broken; however, when thinking about arranging paintings in your home, you cannot always make daring choices.
Made of mainly porous or absorbent materials, artworks can be sensitive to their environment, and this too is often forgotten.
A piece of art has to be pampered!
In the long term, changes in temperature, humidity, dust or the sun can damage a painting or sculpture.
- The air in the surrounding environment can carry dust and microorganisms which deposit on and in the artworks.
- Temperatures that are too high or too low can cause chemical reactions that can alter certain sensitive materials such as paper, marker inks, charcoal, chalk, etc.
Today, helped by the kings of the house, I explain the main mistakes to avoid when hanging a painting at home.
Mistake number 1: Painting above heater
In winter, unlike other seasons, we use heaters or radiators which give off a fair amount heat.
If a work is suspended above a strong source of heat, the fibres of the canvas will dry out, shrink abnormally and draw on the paint.
Over time, sudden variations in temperature can cause cracks on a painted surface: acrylic, gouache, oil or other paints.
Photo: He Gong / Unsplash
· The solution
Install the painting in a corner of the room where thermal shocks will be less frequent so as to avoid causing paper or cardboard to curl or separate the pictorial layers from their support. To keep an artwork in good standing, the ideal temperature is between 64° F and 69 ° F.
Mistake number 2: Painting above A bathtub
Too much chronic humidity in a room can cause mold in some areas of the bathroom. Artists’ creations are not immune. Dark colours can appear here and there if we forget to be vigilant.
The damage mainly concerns organic materials such as wood, cellulose (paper, cotton) and protein (wool, silk, feathers, glues, leather).
Photo: Brad Pearson / Unsplash
· The solution
Move the painting to another less humid room or protect it with a glass frame and place vulnerable sculptures (with fibres, paper, glue) under a glass dome bell.
Mistake number 3: Painting placed in direct sun light
Artworks installed too long in direct sunlight find themselves victims of photochemical attacks generated by light. Radiation builds up over time and the changes that are hardly perceptible on a daily basis will end up irreversibly distorting sensitive works.
Beware of the light coming in through windows too, the emission of UV rays and infrared can penetrate and damage your artwork here as well.
Photo: Michelle Calderon / Unsplash
· The solution
Frame the painting under glass with an anti-UV film, or arrange blinds, curtains to reduce the amount of sunshine.
Mistake number 4: Painting above fireplace
Wood smoke is not as harmless as you might think. Wood made of almost 50% carbon produces tar when burned at high temperature. The smoke also contains other pollutants such as hydrocarbons and fine particles.
Over time, the smoke that blackens curtains and cushions will similarly darken the most beautiful paintings, regardless of whether it is an acrylic or oil painting.
Photo: Matthew Manuel / Unsplash
· The solution
When framing under glass, the best solution would be to cover paintings with resin to keep the colours fresh. The glass prevents soot from depositing directly on the colours, and can be cleaned with two strokes of A cloth.
Mistake number 5: Paintings hung in the kitchen
Everyone loves cooking. However, cooking will also produce fumes, vapours, grease deposits and odours that can pollute the room and damage your art work.
After several years the walls of a kitchen, if not cleaned, are sometimes often yellowing and sticky. The same will apply to artworks installed near stoves, hobs or ovens.
Photo: Nick Karvounis / Unsplash
· The solution
A powerful extractor hood can reduce particle deposition. Putting the work under glass is also a good compromise.
The favourite rooms
Offices, bedrooms, hallways, entrance halls, living rooms, stairwells, studios, other rooms are at our disposal to radiate the colours of a favourite painting or appreciate the curves of a sculpture.
Now that you know the constraints, you just have to be creative!
Content provided by Amylee Paris
The passion of Amylee Paris, painter, consultant and author is to share her paintings between galleries, art collectors and her community. Beyond her pictorial skills and her several ebooks available online, Amylee is also recognized as one of the most influential francophone artist-entrepreneurs. She helps beginners or professional artists to optimize their artistic activity.
You can visit her colourful portfolio, her Facebook and Instagram or find all Amylee’s posts published in GreatArt online Magazine by clicking here!
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