You may be a proud Picasso owner or hold a painting by a very famous painter. The first issue that will be 'hanging' in your mind is how and where to put it. It is essential that you answer this question effectively in order to make the most of your purchase. When you buy something that has touched your heart, it becomes for you a sort of duty to present it for the appraisal of others, sharing your tastes. Yet there are a lot of factors to account for when, where and how you hang that painting up. The following is a list of them and you must deliberate on each of them, before you go ahead and lift the hammer to strike a nail head:
- The manner in which you are going to display it.
- The place you have selected for the painting.
- The quality of the light that is going to highlight the painting.
- Does the place have any other items that will distract or get in the way of a viewer to prevent him from fully appreciating the painting.
- The fact that the surface you are going to mount it on is in sync with the painting or not also matters a lot.
Along with the considerations mentioned above characteristics that can affect the position of the canvas are that of the artwork under consideration. To make the canvas painting more attractive and enjoyable for the viewers, you must pay careful attention to the following suggestions presented below
- Size: The size of the canvas painting is a determining factor, which if used properly, can bring the best out of the painting. If it is a big canvas then hanging in a small room or a narrow passageway won't be very effective. The reason for this is that, the viewer, while appreciating a big canvas has to stand back which may not be possible in a narrow place. If the painting you want to hang is small in size then it might be a good idea to cluster it with other paintings to make a square out of them. You can use paintings depicting the same or contrasting subjects or themes, same or contrasting design style or canvas painting patterns. However, you must really work on achieving the effect and highlight on the canvas painting techniques used.
- Wall: The wall that you are going to hang the painting on should not be facing the east or the west. A painting is entitled to constant amount of light, a condition that can be hardly met with by a wall that faces the east or the west. The other requirement that a wall must fulfill before qualifying to receive a canvas or any other paintings is that it shouldn't be a leaky wall. A wall that is retaining water and presenting constantly moist environment won't do any good to the painting in the long run. It will be instrumental in deteriorating the canvas, the colors used: be it an oil painting or watercolor paintings, breaking your heart, and making you invest in canvas painting repair.
- Lighting: A painting deserves the just amount of light constantly so that it can be enjoyed at any time of the day. To achieve this you may like to opt for lamps that are mounted on the angled brackets. On the other hand, preferring the overhead lighting may serve your purpose. Harsh, glaring light must be avoided at any cost, it will hasten the deterioration of the color and the canvas within no time. Soft lighting that will highlight the canvas to make it an object of attraction in the room or the place is what you should be looking for. Care must also be taken to prevent or minimize shadows or reflected light falling on the canvas.
- Hanging a painting: This you can do it in a number of ways. If the canvas painting that you own is a costly item then you can think of hiring a professional to do the job effectively. Alternatively, for a low cost item, you may find mounting it on your own in a profitable way. If you decide on the latter course of action, all you have to do is to measure the dimensions of the canvas and hang it on the wall you have chosen for the painting. Care must be taken to choose a spot that is in the line of vision, so that the viewers do not have to crane their neck while having a look at the painting. Mark the outside edges of the painting on the wall using a level, and hammer three sturdy nails into the wall at the left and right corner of the upper edge. You could use the third nail in between the left and right for extra support. It is best to avoid hanging the canvas near a window. The view outside it can prove to be distracting and the light through it may prove to be irritating while looking at the painting which may spoil the effect.
