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Care For Your Art

Now that you have bought your art, you want to enjoy it. But how do you protect your investment and guarantee its preservation? We would like you to enjoy your art for years to come. Here are a few tips to keep in mind that will help conserve your fine artwork and maintain the integrity of its original state.

Keep your art away from direct sunlight, as anything that will fade your carpet will fade your art. Be careful not to let direct sunlight shine on your art.
Hang your art in neutral climates, away from excessive humidity or dryness. Too much moisture can cause mats and prints to buckle or mould over time. Extreme dryness can also unfavourably affect the artwork.
Framing your artwork adds to the life of your art. Be sure to ask for 100% conservation materials when framing your art, such as cotton-rag mat board and acid-free backings. This combination results in the best long-term protection of your art.
Keep an eye out for pollutants and contaminants in the environment. Art is just as susceptible to environmental damage as we are.
Check your framed artwork about every 6 months, front and back, for signs of damage such as cracking and molding. There are paper conservators who may be able to repair any damage that has been done and help you with preventative maintenance for the future.
Do not spray cleaner of any kind directly onto the framed piece. Rather, spray cleaner onto a cloth and then apply it to the glass or Plexiglas.
If you are a renter, you may want to consider purchasing Renter’s Insurance. Landlords have insurance for the apartment building itself, but this does not cover your personal belongings within the building. Renter’s Insurance would cover the value of your artwork should anything happen to it.

If you are a homeowner, be assured that your artwork is included in your Homeowner’s Insurance. However, it is a good idea to take out a rider for artwork valued over £2,500.

Lighting For Your Art
How you light your artwork can dramatically influence its effect on your
room. Here are a few tips you might want to consider when lighting art:

Do not hang your valuable artwork in direct sunlight. Even with protective UV-blocking glass, prolonged exposure to the suns heat can destroy your art.
Fluorescent bulbs tend to fade images. Use incandescent bulbs to light your artwork instead. Incandescent lights have only 4% of their rays in the damaging range.
Illuminate your art at the lowest light level possible for enjoyment.
Choose subdued lighting effects that will not reflect into the glass, especially when you are not using a reflection control product.
Aim track or cable lighting at the picture. You may need to adjust the light's angle a few times to place it in the optimum, glare-free position.
Add a sense of atmosphere by using wall lights or sconces on either side of your framed piece.
Set an inexpensive up light on the floor and aim its beam at the artwork.

Install a cylinder-shaped picture light (these are often made of brass) on the wall above the painting. Route the cord through the wall to keep it from looking unsightly against the wall.

Pop Art developed rapidly during the 1960s. In 1960 the British artist David Hockney produced Typhoo Tea. In addition to appropriating the subject matter of mass culture, pop art appropriated the techniques of mass production. The images of pop art (shortened from “popular art”) were taken from mass culture. Some artists duplicated beer bottles, soup cans, comic strips, road signs, and similar objects in paintings, collages, and sculptures.

How to Select Art

The decorating process can be a lengthy one. After countless decisions on everything from wall colour to furniture pieces, drapes to lamps, often times you find that there is still something missing. Your walls are bare. The missing piece? Art.

Art adds to or creates a mood for a room. The first step is easy: select the art you love. Forget about trendy. If it speaks to you, use it. Still life’s, landscapes, photography, portraits... anything can comprise an artistic moment.

Both the subject and the colours used in artwork can greatly influence the overall feeling in your room. Yellows, oranges, and other bright colours can brighten a room, adding energy and cheer to an otherwise solemn décor. Blues, greens, and artwork featuring landscapes or seascapes tend to have a calming effect.

Selecting the perfect piece of art to complete your room can be intimidating. You may question your own art education, or are hesitant to invest a large amount of money in an original piece of art. But you know what you like when you see it, and have a definite opinion about what appeals to you.

First and foremost, it is important to remember that when you’re selecting art, you’re actually selecting a form of expression that is an extension of yourself. While browsing through art, there may be a particular image that catches your eye. You may not even know why. But if something has grabbed your attention in the first place, this is a good indication that you may have already found the piece for your home. The artist, the genre, the style, the medium, are all secondary in importance to your individuality and your style. You know what you like. Trust your judgment.

But in addition, there are a few other things you want to keep in mind that may help you select artwork for your home.

Be aware of the space you are working with. Large paintings can overwhelm small rooms. Conversely, small art can get lost in rooms that are considerably spacious or cluttered with other home accessories. Narrow your search to pieces that are in a particular size range (S, M, or L) that corresponds with your space. This not only helps in the selection process, but also assures appropriate sizing for your decorating needs.

Think about the type of room you’re decorating, and pick the subject or theme of the artwork accordingly.

For example, you might consider hanging sports art in a game room. Sunny breakfast nooks look great with bright floral. Culinary art featuring fruits and vegetables are charming in their natural home: the kitchen.

Finally, keep in mind the overall décor of your room, and select art accordingly. For example, if you have a Victorian living room it would be better to hang say, a floral piece, than something abstract and modern.

Pop art paintings, Andy Warhol, Homer Simpson Leonardo, Roy Liechtenstein, Marilyn Monroe