Art Wall: Done!

Got the actual art pieces hung this weekend, which included going into my husband's stash of prints to supplement what I already had--he's an awesome photographer, when he feels like it. The room is actually feeling finished, which feels great: perhaps the first (almost) finished room in the house.

This wall is a prime example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts (is that the right expression? sounds backwards, somehow.) These are pieces that I have collected or made over the years, and while each is personal, I likely wouldn't choose them today, as most of them are not exactly wowing on their own with the possible exception of the Brad Harrison photograph--the largest, middle one of a woman standing on a rock in the water. He's an amazing photographer and this print was a gift for a shoot I produced with him for an insurance company back in the day. It's lovely, and serene, and this is the first time it is not hanging on its own in a bathroom.

I think the reason this grouping works is that each piece is figural and predominantly black and white. So even though the eras and styles are all over the map, there is a logic in the subject matter and an overall cohesiveness by tone. For me, when using figures, it's important to think about where they are facing, and no one here is gazing awkwardly into space...so that's something, right? I always think that people in a group of images like this should be looking inward, rather than "out of scene" or "off stage," but sometimes you can do that on purpose to interesting effect. Here, the girl in the orange and black deco piece at the top is coming through the curtains and gazing out the window.

I think you also need to think about balance. In this case, I wanted to balance figures with portraits (bodies with heads) and black and white with the images that have some color. I also wanted to balance the frames in terms of color and levels of detail.

Anyway. Boring. If you really want more on what works in gallery walls (in my opinion), check out this post.

But mostly, here's what's nice: I walk into the room and it feels finished. Except for the pile of crap all over our dressers. Maybe we'll clean those up and take a picture and post it here for posterity.