We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,
we borrow it from our children.
-- Native American Proverb
In honor of Earth Day, I've been sharing some of my favorite nature inspired art over here today.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
4 Ways to Hang Art
My advice for how to hang art is... to just get on with it!
So many folks seem to be paralyzed with fear that they are going to do it "wrong" that they wait forever while their precious pieces collect dust in the corner. There ARE some helpful rules and tips to get you started but the main thing is to just get your art up on the wall where it belongs and where it can bring you joy.
To get you started, I've outlined four ways to hang art from traditional to eclectic. For additional information, check out the resources at the end of this article and you can see a ton of inspiring photographs on my pinterest board: how to hang art.
And my other advice? Have fun with it!
1. Traditional
There is nothing like the drama of a single, bold piece of artwork hanging over the back of a couch.
It can pull a room together with color or provide a pop of color in an otherwise monochromatic room. My advice for what artwork to choose is simple: Forget what color your couch is or what style of furniture you have--pick a piece that your LOVE.
Pick a piece that speaks to you, that will bring you joy, that you will want to come back to time and again.
That's it.
A few rules: if you are hanging just one piece of art over a piece of furniture, make sure it is big enough. About 2/3 the width of the furniture is a good rule of thumb (but always there are exceptions). Most people hang artwork too high--usually 5 to 9 inches over the top of a couch is a good height. The 57 rule is a good thing to keep in mind, especially when you are hanging artwork throughout a room and you want it to be cohesive. The idea is that you hang the center of all artwork at eye level (57 inches being the average persons eye level). Apartment Therapy has a good how-to article here.
2. Salon Style
Salon Style refers to hanging art in groupings--from modern, geometric grids of artwork to paintings hung willy-nilly from floor to ceiling. My favorite example of this is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Stewart was an American socialite and major patron of the arts. Her home, now the museum, has hundreds of paintings and artworks that Stewart collected over her lifetime. One of the stipulations of her will was that nothing be changed--so when you visit you see the artwork just as she arranged it. She had a wonderful and sometimes eclectic way of arranging her collection. I highly recommend a visit when you're in the Boston area. The blog Design Formula has a great post with ideas on how to arrange art in groups.
The basic rule is to create some sort of visual order to the group. You can do this by picking a theme, a common color in all of the pieces, or by creating unity with the same color frames. See some photos here.
3. Shelve it!
A good way to display a collection of small pieces of artwork is on bookshelves. For cohesiveness, pick a theme--say a collection of floral paintings or seashell artwork. Have it tie in with books and other items on your bookshelves.
In my studio, I like to display some of my tiny woodland and landscape paintings on a shelf with my collection of Louise Dickinson Rich's novels about living in the remote woods of northern Maine. This idea also works well on a fireplace mantel. Try layering smaller pieces in front of larger ones. See a lovely floral collection on shelves here.
4. Eclectic
My favorite way to display work because you can bring in the unexpected and a heavy dose of personality. Mix and match things you love and arrange them to tell a story.
I love to paint peonies every June--I now have a collection of my own peony paintings and vintage prints I have collected along the way. Peonies remind me of both my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother who lived with us when I was a child and with whom I spent many hours as a girl working in the gardens and my paternal grandmother whose stunning peony garden was a gift to her from my grandfather--a tough, hardworking woodsmen who lovingly tended flower gardens for decades as a gift for his bride. I created this art display in my home with a mixture of peony paintings, prints, photographs and vintage hats that also remind me of both grandmothers.
Put together a collection that tells a story.
How do you display your art? Does yours tell a story? I'd love to hear from you.
Resources
Pinterest board: How to Hang Art
Apartment Therapy: Salon Style Display
Design Formula: Make a Picture Collage
The Examiner: Why Art Galleries and Collectors Hang Works "Salon Style"
Apartment Therapy: How to Hang your Artwork and not screw it up
Apartment Therapy: How to Hang Art in Groups
Redbook: How to Create a Wall of Art
Modular Art: mix and match paintings to hang together
Services I offer
Help with hanging art: I'm happy to come to clients home (in my area) and assist in hanging/arranging artwork.
Unsure how a piece will look? Send me a photograph of your wall and a list of paintings you are interested in and I will arrange them in the photo (using Photoshop)--this is a great way to take a painting for a test drive. Try it!
Contact me here for more info.
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| Modular Art |
So many folks seem to be paralyzed with fear that they are going to do it "wrong" that they wait forever while their precious pieces collect dust in the corner. There ARE some helpful rules and tips to get you started but the main thing is to just get your art up on the wall where it belongs and where it can bring you joy.
To get you started, I've outlined four ways to hang art from traditional to eclectic. For additional information, check out the resources at the end of this article and you can see a ton of inspiring photographs on my pinterest board: how to hang art.
And my other advice? Have fun with it!
1. Traditional
There is nothing like the drama of a single, bold piece of artwork hanging over the back of a couch.
It can pull a room together with color or provide a pop of color in an otherwise monochromatic room. My advice for what artwork to choose is simple: Forget what color your couch is or what style of furniture you have--pick a piece that your LOVE.
Pick a piece that speaks to you, that will bring you joy, that you will want to come back to time and again.
That's it.
 |
| a splash of color brings drama to a monochromatic living room |
A few rules: if you are hanging just one piece of art over a piece of furniture, make sure it is big enough. About 2/3 the width of the furniture is a good rule of thumb (but always there are exceptions). Most people hang artwork too high--usually 5 to 9 inches over the top of a couch is a good height. The 57 rule is a good thing to keep in mind, especially when you are hanging artwork throughout a room and you want it to be cohesive. The idea is that you hang the center of all artwork at eye level (57 inches being the average persons eye level). Apartment Therapy has a good how-to article here.
2. Salon Style
Salon Style refers to hanging art in groupings--from modern, geometric grids of artwork to paintings hung willy-nilly from floor to ceiling. My favorite example of this is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Stewart was an American socialite and major patron of the arts. Her home, now the museum, has hundreds of paintings and artworks that Stewart collected over her lifetime. One of the stipulations of her will was that nothing be changed--so when you visit you see the artwork just as she arranged it. She had a wonderful and sometimes eclectic way of arranging her collection. I highly recommend a visit when you're in the Boston area. The blog Design Formula has a great post with ideas on how to arrange art in groups.
The basic rule is to create some sort of visual order to the group. You can do this by picking a theme, a common color in all of the pieces, or by creating unity with the same color frames. See some photos here.
 |
| a grouping of bachelor button paintings for a nursery |
3. Shelve it!
A good way to display a collection of small pieces of artwork is on bookshelves. For cohesiveness, pick a theme--say a collection of floral paintings or seashell artwork. Have it tie in with books and other items on your bookshelves.
In my studio, I like to display some of my tiny woodland and landscape paintings on a shelf with my collection of Louise Dickinson Rich's novels about living in the remote woods of northern Maine. This idea also works well on a fireplace mantel. Try layering smaller pieces in front of larger ones. See a lovely floral collection on shelves here.
 |
| woodland paintings with Kristina's Louise Dickinson Rich collection |
4. Eclectic
My favorite way to display work because you can bring in the unexpected and a heavy dose of personality. Mix and match things you love and arrange them to tell a story.
I love to paint peonies every June--I now have a collection of my own peony paintings and vintage prints I have collected along the way. Peonies remind me of both my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother who lived with us when I was a child and with whom I spent many hours as a girl working in the gardens and my paternal grandmother whose stunning peony garden was a gift to her from my grandfather--a tough, hardworking woodsmen who lovingly tended flower gardens for decades as a gift for his bride. I created this art display in my home with a mixture of peony paintings, prints, photographs and vintage hats that also remind me of both grandmothers.
Put together a collection that tells a story.
How do you display your art? Does yours tell a story? I'd love to hear from you.
Resources
Pinterest board: How to Hang Art
Apartment Therapy: Salon Style Display
Design Formula: Make a Picture Collage
The Examiner: Why Art Galleries and Collectors Hang Works "Salon Style"
Apartment Therapy: How to Hang your Artwork and not screw it up
Apartment Therapy: How to Hang Art in Groups
Redbook: How to Create a Wall of Art
Modular Art: mix and match paintings to hang together
Services I offer
Help with hanging art: I'm happy to come to clients home (in my area) and assist in hanging/arranging artwork.
Unsure how a piece will look? Send me a photograph of your wall and a list of paintings you are interested in and I will arrange them in the photo (using Photoshop)--this is a great way to take a painting for a test drive. Try it!
Contact me here for more info.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
show is up!
I just got back from hanging my show at the Jaffrey Civic Center. Phew! I usually have a helper but did this one on my own. It was a lot of work but I think it looks great! The opening is Friday--hope to see you!
Here is a little sneak peek:
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Appalachian Spring
March 22nd - April 20th, 2013
Jaffrey Civic Center
40 Main Street
Jaffrey NH
Opening Reception
March 22nd
5-8pm
Here is a little sneak peek:
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Thursday, March 14, 2013
Appalachian Spring-- vintage campers hit the road
The Happy Camper Mobile Art Gallery has inspired a new little series as part of Appalachian Spring collection. (The opening is coming up on March 22, 2013...have you made your reservations for our Art & Dine evening?)
Here's a sneak peek at a couple of my new vintage camper pieces--hitting the road in the Smoky Mountains and the highlands of western Maine.
March 22nd- April 20, 2013
Here's a sneak peek at a couple of my new vintage camper pieces--hitting the road in the Smoky Mountains and the highlands of western Maine.
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| on the road in the Smokies, 30x30 inches, oil on canvas. ©2013 Kristina Wentzell |
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| on the road in western Maine, 30x40 inches, oil on canvas, ©2013 Kristina Wentzell |
These paintings are part of my upcoming show:
Appalachian Spring
paintings inspired by the landscape, flora & fauna of the Appalachian corridor
March 22nd- April 20, 2013
Opening Reception
March 22nd, 2013
5-8pm
Jaffrey Civic Center
40 Main Street
Jaffrey NH
More details HERE
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Art & Dine
The opening for my upcoming Appalachian Spring show is fast approaching. When I discovered it was coinciding with another art opening at the Jaffrey Civic Center and the start of spring I decided to put together a little something special to mark the occasions.
Join me for an evening of fine art and fine dining in Jaffrey, NH. All the details can be found here.
Art & Dine
March 22nd, 2013
5-8pm
Jaffrey NH
Friday, March 1, 2013
Appalachian Spring-- a painting collection
About a year ago, I painted a little series of paintings called walking with spring.
I was inspired by a journey I had taken long ago with my new sweetheart (now husband) to hike the Appalachian Trail. It was sort a love story, adventure, and marvels at the wonders of nature all rolled into one.
Since those first paintings, I find myself returning on canvas to those mountains again and again. To the southern section of the Appalachian Trail where the spring beauties transformed the forest floor to a carpet of snow. To the northern parts of the Appalachians in the western mountains of Maine-- our family home and a place where I have spent every summer.
I have lived most of my life along the Appalachian Corridor--hiking its mountains, berry picking, bird watching and later hiking the Appalachian Trail. It has been a constant muse for my artwork. What better way to pay tribute to the grand mountain chain than to bring together an entire collection of paintings inspired by this landscape?
The Appalachian Mountains are a series of ranges that stretch from Georgia in the south all the way into Maine in the northern US. It actually continues north from there into the Canadian Maritimes and ends in Newfoundland. They are home to the Great Smoky Mountains in the south, the Shenandoahs in Virginia, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. So many diverse places of beauty all rolled into one.
My collection entitled Appalachian Spring: paintings inspired by the landscape, flora & fauna of the Appalachian Corridor will be on display at the Auditorium Gallery in the Jaffrey Civic Center. March 22nd- April 20th, 2013. There will be an opening reception on March 22nd, 5-8pm.
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| Kristina on the AT |
I was inspired by a journey I had taken long ago with my new sweetheart (now husband) to hike the Appalachian Trail. It was sort a love story, adventure, and marvels at the wonders of nature all rolled into one.
 |
| walking with spring, oil on canvas, 8x8 inches. (c)2011 Kristina Wentzell |
Since those first paintings, I find myself returning on canvas to those mountains again and again. To the southern section of the Appalachian Trail where the spring beauties transformed the forest floor to a carpet of snow. To the northern parts of the Appalachians in the western mountains of Maine-- our family home and a place where I have spent every summer.
 |
| spring beauties, North Carolina ©1992 Kristina Wentzell |
I have lived most of my life along the Appalachian Corridor--hiking its mountains, berry picking, bird watching and later hiking the Appalachian Trail. It has been a constant muse for my artwork. What better way to pay tribute to the grand mountain chain than to bring together an entire collection of paintings inspired by this landscape?
The Appalachian Mountains are a series of ranges that stretch from Georgia in the south all the way into Maine in the northern US. It actually continues north from there into the Canadian Maritimes and ends in Newfoundland. They are home to the Great Smoky Mountains in the south, the Shenandoahs in Virginia, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. So many diverse places of beauty all rolled into one.
 |
| Gros Morne Mountain, Newfoundland ©2011 Kristina Wentzell |
My collection entitled Appalachian Spring: paintings inspired by the landscape, flora & fauna of the Appalachian Corridor will be on display at the Auditorium Gallery in the Jaffrey Civic Center. March 22nd- April 20th, 2013. There will be an opening reception on March 22nd, 5-8pm.
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