Ginny Fisher talks to art-hanging professional and artist Iain Cheesman and framing expert Tony Gibb about making your art collection sing.
My student days were packed with various calamities, but one incident really packed a punch.
One winter night I was rudely woken with an almighty donk to the head.
Auckland-based artist and professional picture-hanger Iain Cheesman winces when I tell him the tale.
“No! Earthquake country! Don’t hang art above your bed, instead place it beside or above your bedside table, it will personalise your side of the bed and create a nice balance if you have work on either side.”
Balance is key for every picture-hanging exercise, whether it be one large artwork or a grouping, says Iain.
While many hangers suggest starting by mapping out your works on the floor, Iain prefers to wing it by holding the work against the wall and seeing how it looks in relation to other elements in the room — that is, furniture, architectural details, even windows.
“You have to consider everything in the room when hanging an artwork — even the views through the windows. Are they green spaces or hard lines? Is the light harsh or soft?”
On the subject of light, Iain says many New Zealand dwellings are essentially like glasshouses and are so bad for works on paper he’s reluctant to hang paper works in bright rooms — even very light spaces without direct sunlight can damage these delicate pieces.
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Advertise with NZME.“If you feel like you have to squint in a room, don’t hang a watercolour, a print or a photograph. Oils and acrylics are far more robust.”
The appeal of the gallery wall lives on, says Iain, and for good reason. Most of us tend to collect artworks that differ in size, style, and colour, so grouping all the odds and ends together gives works more punch.
He suggests treating the group as one painting in terms of composition.
When sorting out the works you want to group, he suggests linking your group based on either a colour scheme — cool tones or monochromatic, for example — or a thematic scheme, such as botanical, abstract, portrait or narrative — perhaps the grouping tells the story of your family, or of an interest you have.
“Often you’ll find one work ends up being super-dominant. If that’s the case, it might need to be displayed on its own or you may need to give the work more space around it,” he explains. “It helps to have another person helping who can hold up the work while you assess its position.”
In terms of an overall shape of a grouping, Iain says you can’t go wrong with a cloud shape, as you can always add to this over time.
“Hang the biggest work first, but don’t place it dead centre, then add the remaining works. Usually, a 50-60mm space in between each is about right.”
Once you have completed your grouping, spend some time looking and relooking. “Ask yourself, where does your eye travel? If it goes centrifugally — meaning outwards — it’s not keeping your attention. You want it to travel in and around the picture, towards the central point — in a centripetal way.”
One trick to make the grouping hang together harmoniously is to consider painting a wall in a mid-tone that complements the colour palettes of the works. If you tend to be attracted to green and blue tones in artworks, you might want to consider an eye-catching lilac wall, like the one pictured.
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Advertise with NZME.One of the most common problems Iain encounters is art hung too low or too high. “Generally, around 1560mm from the floor works pretty well. If you are hanging over a console, don’t hang too high above, or the work will look like it’s floating up and away.”
The guideline here is around 320 mm above a console, and often placing objects on the sideboard that have a relation to the grouping will help bring it together.
Hallways can be tricky for placing art, says Iain. “You want to avoid a tunnelling effect. Hang only on one side, or leapfrog from one wall to another if you have various doors on each side. The key is to maintain some white space. The reality is viewing artwork in a hallway is difficult as it’s a through space, so think about the work you want to see when exiting a bedroom or any room, as what you see from another room can draw the eye into the other space.”
Iain says hanging paintings and objects together can be a fun way to embrace a bit of visual chaos. “I like the postmodern idea that you can really do what you like, and not worry about a bit of visual clutter.”
On the flip side, formality can also be impactful. “In a formal room, like a dining room or a hallway, it can be really impactful to hang one large work smack bang in the middle.”
Iain occasionally encounters clients with wallpapered walls who are reluctant to hang works over the paper. If you are brave enough, he suggests trying more graphic works that don’t compete with the pattern, such as black-and-white photographs.
Iain’s tools (and tips)
- Have a measuring tape and a spirit or electronic leveller.
- Always buy quality hooks and D rings from a framer, they’re more robust than hardware store options.
- Migrate from wire to D rings on each top corner to keep the work level, then hang on two wall hooks.
- Use painters’ tape to mark the corners of the works when mapping out an arrangement.
All about framing
Nothing elevates an artwork like a complementary and robust frame. Your first priority before you visit the framer will be to collect visual examples of frames you like, Pinterest has countless examples of frame options, as have gallery websites. This will save you time umming and ahhing with the framing specialist and possibly avoid a row with your other half.
Framing expert and director of John Leech Framing, Tony Gibb, has been in the framing business for more than 30 years and the Mt Eden business services established artists like Fiona Pardington alongside galleries and museums. They’re experts in high-end customised frames — you can even choose the exact colour from a paint chart or utilise a vintage frame. They also offer seamless gesso frames — frames finished with layers of gesso — a thick, white paint-like substance traditionally used for gilding frames. The end result is a subtle satin/matte finish without any visible joins.
I arrive at John Leech Framing with three of my photographic works, each with unique aspects of scale, colour and detail that need to be solved by a complementary frame.
WORK ONE: ‘STORM IN A TEACUP’
This small work, around 300mm by 400mm, is dominated by dark tones in blacks and greens, making for a moody image that requires a bit more space around the edges to allow the art “room to breathe”. Tony suggests placing a black mat — a thick border that sits between the photo and the frame to create separation between the frame and the artwork). A mat can often be helpful for images with fine detail, or those that are smaller in scale — the blank space allows your eye to rest on the central image.
He recommends acid-free archival mats — avoid cheap mats made from wood pulp as they will brown off and transfer a stain to the artwork underneath. Mats are available in various thicknesses — 4, 6 and 8 ply, the thicker mats giving a more dramatic look by recessing the artwork beneath.
Although I’ve avoided mats in the past — due to personal taste, now I can appreciate how useful they are for drawing the eye into the artwork. In this case, I opt for a thick, dramatic black wooden frame with a satin finish, in lieu of a mat, which gives a similar feeling of space around the image. I like the contrast between the small scale of the image and the grander scale of the frame.
As for glass, the gold standard is preservation clear — a glass that protects the work from 99 per cent of UV rays. But if you have a room that is particularly reflective, due to many windows, or a work that is very dark and encourages reflections like the one I have, a non-reflective museum glass is the diamond standard. But it comes at a price — nearly double that of standard preservation clear glass. As the work is so small, I decide to invest in the best.
WORK TWO: ‘END OF THE LINE’
In keeping with the simplicity of the black-and-white image, Tony suggests a black or white frame, but he advises avoiding cheap composite frames as they are prone to chipping — a stained black or white timber frame are good options for this graphic work.
Because this work has many tonalities of white, I decided to play on this aspect and opt for an off-white mat to draw the eye into the darker tones in the centre and, to keep it simple, a charcoal frame with a wood grain in keeping with the grey tones of the photograph.
WORK THREE: ‘HARE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW’
The work is small, around 300mm x 300mm, with fine detail in the floral wreath around the edge and a range of colours throughout, so in this case a mat is vital for separation and to showcase the work. Tony says the vast majority of mats he would recommend are either a shade of white or black, he advises avoiding coloured mats, which add confusion.
In this case, we choose a reddish-brown wooden frame to match the tones found in both the hare and the flowers, this particular frame has been hand polished in-house to highlight the woodgrain and its finish complements the rustic nature of the work. He suggests playing around with the proportions of the space or drop beneath the artwork — giving more space to the bottom of the work creates the visual illusion of weight and balance when the work is hung.
Tony’s tips
- For oil paintings, Tony suggests a wooden tray frame — this frame has a thin edge and a tray the work sits on for a non-obtrusive, slick finish.
- Request spacers for works under glass. These prevent contact between the glass and your print — this is why store-bought frames are never a good idea for an expensive work.
- Request a rag board mat for archival longevity.
- Floating frames create the illusion of the work floating in space — they are elevated above the backing board and work well for textured artworks or objects that require shadowing or elevating.
Where to go for framing and printing
Endemic World in Ponsonby, for high-quality archival printing and four days’ turnaround. I prefer the raw timber frames, but do be aware these tend to yellow in time. If that’s not what you are after, they also offer stained or painted wooden frames at a slightly longer turnaround time.
Framefox in Kumeū for decent printing and a large selection of wooden frames at a good price point and a 10-day turnaround.
Doug Gow
Doug Gow is a Muriwai-based framer who regularly travels to Auckland for pick-ups from residential and gallery clients, reasonably priced and top-quality work.
Homestead Picture Framers, West Auckland, offers excellent value and service. They’re used by artists all over Auckland.
The Art of Framing, Papakura, has pleasant service and quality frames at a decent price point.
