My August Wall at the Loft Gallery

Today I move my wall.  At the Loft Gallery , nineteen 2-D artists move to a new spot the first Monday of every month (unless like today the holiday fell on Monday).  The 3-D artists have their own rotation.  Its an old building that was a residence at one time so the rooms are on the smaller side and there are lots of doors and windows making the hanging spaces different sizes.   I like the rotation.  Everyone has a turn at each space and it keeps the gallery fresh.  The main room is the featured wall for the artist of the month. 
In August I had one of the larger walls.  Of course its above the high counter with all the miniture paintings and a slanted ceiling.   Because it was the last month of summer, I decided to hang paintings of beaches, boats and kids playing in the water.  

You can see this is a hard wall to hang.

You have to move all the miniatures first then crawl on the counter.

Hanging Art Shows

Hanging is an art in itself and I'm still learning.  It is something to be planned, like the composition of your painting.  To learn, I volunteer to help other artists hang shows hoping to pick up pointers.  Whether its hanging your own paintings or a huge show with multiple artists the principles are the same.  You have to consider what looks best.  Are you grouping by a theme, subject matter, color, size, shape or sometimes types or colors of frames?  Once you start grouping, is it pleasing to the eye?  Its sometimes easier when hanging on a large wall to lay the paintings out on the floor so you can easily move paintings around.  Do you want to stagger the heights of the frames or (try) hang them straight across the top? The general rule of thumb is the center of the work should be about 5 feet from the ground so its pleasing for people of all heights.  So many things to consider.    

Of course things change when you have odd size walls, furniture, windows, or other obstacles in the way you may have to work into your design.