Greetings friends! I hope that your summer is buzzing along and that you are enjoying the long days!
Have you ever wondered how to curate a visually appealing grouping of art on a wall? It's not as hard as you think! I recently did a little makeover on our guest room and wanted to include some of the art that I've collected in recent years. I'm going to share some of my trade secrets with you in hopes that you are inspired to create a pretty gallery wall in your home.
Tip #1: Use pieces of art that have a similar color palette
I'm drawn to the same colors over and over, and so most of my art collection features varying shades of the colors that I love....purples, pinks, chartreuses, yellows, greens and some blues. When creating a gallery wall, or a collection of art that will be grouped together, I typically find a piece that is my 'inspiration' piece that sets the tone for the palette. For this project, it was a piece by Bridgette Thornton (seen here in my design studio).
Bridgette Thornton's art in Price Style and Design's Studio
I feature Bridgette's art in my studio -- and instead of putting this one up for sale, I bought it from her right away!
Tip #2: Find artists that inspire you and talk with them about their work
I love to follow artist's whose work I admire on Instagram. I find lots of visual inspiration, and I enjoy interacting with them on social media and developing relationships with them. It's a great way to learn more about their processes, motivation and techniques. Many artist's will do commission work, so if you love their style -- ask them if they will create a custom piece for you!
One of the artist's that I love is Chloe Meyer, (find her on IG @chloemeyerart). Last year she posted a piece on IG that I immediately fell in love with. She indicated that she was really attached to it and wasn't sure she wanted to sell it. I contacted her and told her that I had a perfect plan for it, and she nicely agreed to sell it to me!
Art by Chloe Meyer
Tip #3: Find visual balance
When creating a gallery wall, be sure to include pieces of art that are either black and white or not as "busy" as the other pieces. This will add some 'balance' for the eye and not overwhelm the overall scheme.
I sourced a black and white piece from Lost Art Salon (my FAVORITE art gallery in San Francisco) by another one of my favorite artists, Rip Matteson. He was a former cartoonist for the New Yorker (among other achievements) and this is a piece from his sketchbook. I just love it!
Art by Rip Matteson, found at Lost Art Salon
To add color balance, I had these three hand painted postcards framed that I got from the gift shop at The Whitney Museum (on a trip last summer). I decided to frame them as one piece of art and it serves as a perfect muse to the black and white piece while complementing the color scheme.
Tip #4: Don't be afraid to add a touch of whimsy or sentimentalism
While cleaning out my younger son's room (he just graduated from college and is moving out on his own...) I found this sweet little piece that he painted when he was younger. He has always loved painting, and loves painting 'faces' in his spare time. The colors and the composition of this just moved me. So, I had it framed, and added it to the grouping!
Tip #5: Use similar frames to unify the pieces of art
Pardon the iphone photo, (and my reflection in the art! Ha!), but I wanted to show you how I framed these pieces to look cohesive. Each frame is a version of a metallic/gun metal silver and while not all of them 'match' - the color of the frames are all synonymous.
Photography by Kathryn MacDonald. Design by Price Style and Design.