Whether you are grouping photographs or paintings, creating an array of art on a single wall can have a big visual impact. Wall groupings can be used to create an atmosphere, to accent a particular feature of a room, or to simply keep a room from looking empty. Whatever your goal for a particular space, keeping a few guidelines in mind will help you achieve your goal with minimal frustration.
1) Small images can be given more visual impact by grouping them together. This gives the images more of a visual presence, drawing the eye to them more than a single small image alone generally does. Especially if the images are of the same shape and size, they can be hung in a tight group (2” or less apart), creating the visual sensation that each is a portion of a whole.
2) When mixing large and small pictures, use the larger pieces as your anchors; put them in the middle and/or bottom to prevent your arrangement from seeming top-heavy and unstable. A common exception to this rule is when you are including a panoramic. These are often put at the top of an arrangement, acting as a visual “lid.”
3) Combine vertical and horizontal images together in one grouping. This adds visual punch, and helps to keep the arrangement from looking stale.
4) Pictures do not have to line up neatly! They should be evenly spaced, but play with varying their heights and horizontal alignments. Arcing pieces, starting with the largest at the bottom (imagine the stereotypical depiction of a shooting star, including its tail), can do a magnificent job of leading the eye and creating a sensation of movement in a room. The overall symmetry should be balanced, but that does not mean that the two sides of an arrangement need to be mirror images. Multiple small pictures can provide the same visual weight as a single large picture.
5) Images in a group should have one or more unifying elements. This can be things such as subject matter (family, African wildlife, French bistros, etc), all color or all black and white, matching frames or frame colors, or even just matching mats. There should be at least one common thread running through all of the finished pieces to create a sense of cohesion. Note that images do not need to be framed identically in order to create a successful grouping. My first rule of thumb in framing any image is to ensure that the frame and mats complement the image. If any particular framing job looks great in the room but does not suit the image, either the frame should be changed, or a new image should be found that works well with the frame. Remember, the image is the art; the frame, though very important, is secondary (unless the object being framed is a mirror; in this case, the frame can, but does not have to, serve as the main portion of art.). That having been said, if the images are similar, framing them identically can accentuate the unifying elements of them. For example, a series of three shots of your child diving off of a diving board tell a story, and framing them identically can accentuate that narration while complementing each picture in its own right.
6) Tell stories with your groupings. Creating visual narrations draws the viewer in and keeps them interested.
7) If you are aiming to create an intimate, welcoming atmosphere, you should consider placing furniture -- especially chairs, sofas, and other items that invite spending time in the direct vicinity of the artwork -- either directly under or near the art. This invites the viewer to come in close and allows the art to become a part of their surroundings, even if only as a background piece. If, however, you aim to have the art be the uncontested focal point of the room, ensure that no furniture is near it, and that the view of the piece is not obstructed. This draws the eye and holds it, but also creates a little distance between the viewer and the art. The piece will command the viewers’ attention, but will not necessarily allow them to get cozy enough with it to allow it to fade into the background.
8) Be cautious about mixing photographs and other artwork, such as paintings or charcoals. Though it is possible for them to coincide peacefully, most of the time they will compete with each other for the viewer’s attention.
9) Lastly, remember that like all decorating guidelines, these are simply guidelines. Play. Experiment. You may find that breaking one or all of these “rules” will give you exactly the look you desire. Just remember to use paper templates taped to your walls first, as discussed last month, so you don’t end up with dozens of unnecessary holes in your walls.
Jodi
City Escapes Nature Photography
http://www.cityescapesphotography.com
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