HANGING AND CARING FOR YOUR ARTWORK

UNBOXING

As soon as your new artwork arrives, please unbox and inspect your shipment thoroughly for any damages within 48 hours from the time of delivery. If damages are observed, the shipping box must be retained for documentation. Please notify the gallery and we will provide you with further instructions. Please note: due to our shipper’s policy, after the 48 hour window, claims cannot be honored for replacement.

 

 

HARDWARE

Your artwork will come with two D-rings placed on the back of the frame for installation. A D-ring is just what it sounds like: a metal ring shaped like the letter D that screws into the side rails on the back of your frame. Please do not string a wire between the D-rings, as this could twist and loosen the D-rings and damage the frame. Instead, please use a screw in each of the D-rings.

We recommend using panhead screws and standard plastic wall anchors. We most often choose Grabber’s #8 Phillips 1¼ inch construction screw, but any panhead screw will work. These screws need to be used with a wall anchor in the size that corresponds with the screw. Generally we use #8 or #10 and nothing smaller (e.g. not #6) to make sure the hardware is strong enough to hold the weight of the artwork.

 


 

 

 

HOW TO HANG your artwork

When hanging a single piece of art, place it at eye-level, keeping the midpoint approximately 57" above the floor. This is the art gallery standard, as it places the midpoint of a piece at eye level for the average woman. If you are installing the art above furniture or some other item, then you can skip the 57" midpoint rule and instead just keep 4-8" of space between the bottom of the frame and the couch, dresser, bed or other home decor item. Above a piece of furniture, this may result in a midpoint height of 57 up to 67 inches, depending on the height of the furniture, which is higher than the 57" museum standard, but which is acceptable in this case in order to create a visual gap between the furniture and the artwork. If the furniture is lower, we do not suggest hanging the photo lower than the 57” midpoint.

 

 

 

Finding the Right Height

To calculate the proper height for drilling holes for the D-ring anchors, just follow these simple steps. In this example, we will use a 60” x 45” photo:

STEP 1. Simply take the height of the artwork and divide by 2.

60” ÷ 2 = 30”

 

STEP 2. Add that figure to 57” and the new number becomes the measurement for the top of the artwork.

57” + 30” = 87”

 

STEP 3. Then subtract the distance the D-rings are placed down from the top of the photo, which is typically 2” for our photos.

87” - 2” = 85”

 

How to hang a photo

 

 

Finding the Right Width

Use a tape measure to find the width between the center of the wall anchors, and then drill the holes this distance apart. We recommend using a level or a laser level to keep the holes perfectly level.

 

 

A HELPFUL HACK

Painter’s tape can be used to find the width. To do so, apply one piece of painter’s tape the entire length of the picture over the D-rings, and then punch small holes through the tape at the top of the D-rings.

Now you can remove the tape from the back of artwork and use it as the guide for where you will place wall anchors. Take the tape and adhere it to the wall where you’d like to hang your artwork. Using your level again, re-position the tape as necessary to make sure it’s straight. Once your tape is level, drill your wall anchor into the holes you punched earlier. Remove the tape and hang your picture.

 

 

Hanging Multiple Elements

Multiple or mismatched elements are more of a challenge to hang than a single artwork, but the results can be compelling and really make a room. If you have a more complicated arrangement in your space, please contact us for more installation tips.

 

 

LIGHTING

It is well worth the effort to properly illuminate your new artwork. Fortunately, effective lighting design isn’t overly technical and can be easy to achieve.

As a general rule, accent lighting should be about three times brighter than the ambient lighting of the room where a piece is displayed. The easiest way to achieve this is to illuminate the artwork to your desired level of brightness, and then adjust the ambient lighting afterwards.

Track lighting is the most flexible lighting system. It can illuminate a wall evenly from floor to ceiling or be directed to accent one or more pieces of art. To determine the best placement for fixtures, find a location that will evenly illuminate an entire artwork. Reduce shadows and glare by positioning the accent light at a 30 degree angle to the artwork so that the beam strikes the centre of the piece. You may need to play with the angle a bit to get the look you want. You can also cross beams to make light more diffuse and cut down on reflective glare.

If you are using track lighting to illuminate your artwork, we recommend Soraa LAD MR16 7.5 watt bulbs in cool white (4000 degrees Kelvin). These are the lights we use in the gallery, and they are also used in the Smithsonian. We have tested lights extensively and, and we feel Soraa bulbs are the highest quality products on the market. They have a high CRI (color rendition index) and provide very even lighting across the beam. Soraa lights do cost a bit more than cheaper bulbs (e.g. $20 per bulb versus $5-10 per bulb), but their performance makes them worth the extra expense.

Use a mix of beam angles depending on how far your artwork is from the track lights - the farther the distance, the tighter the beam angle you will need to properly reach your artwork. For a standard distance, we recommend using the 25 or 36 degree beam angle. If the lights are farther from the photo (more common with high ceilings), then we suggest a mixture of 25 degree and 10 degree beam angles. You can order Soraa bulbs from many stores (we get ours here).

If you have adjacent recessed or flood lighting, it is possible to use these lights to illuminate the artwork. Some customers have said they like to use pot light extensions, which allow you to aim your lights at the photo.

Remember to avoid fluorescent bulbs which can distort the color of an artwork and cause accelerated fading. We also don’t recommend frame-attached lights because they don’t allow for easy adjustment and can damage the surface of the photo.

 

 

IF YOU NEED HELP

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to give us a call at 310-853-3564 and one of our art consultants will be happy to help. Enjoy your new art!  

 

 

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

We’d also love to see your artwork in situ! Please send us a photo after installation and let us know how you are enjoying your new investment.