Move Your Art!

We recently decided to repaint the bedroom and while everything was off the walls and out of its “normal” position I took a good look at the fresh new color and re-imagined the space. There were no empty nails or un-patched holes, no faded paint shapes…nothing to tell me where any of my previous art had to be hung. So, on a whim, I went “shopping”…that is, I wandered through the house and took a new look at “old art.”

Pretty soon, with my husband’s input, I had selected several pieces from other rooms (and a few closets!) to go in our now-green bedroom. As we hung them (disregarding the previous positioning) the art took on new life. “Old” stuff began to look new again and different colors emerged as the art made friends with a new color palette. Waking every morning to something I hadn’t seen in five years was refreshing…I enjoyed studying the piece I had previously walked by a hundred times a day.

The moral of this story is that I encourage you to move your art around even if you do not repaint the room! Not only will the painting look surprisingly fresh in a new locale (different lighting, different surroundings) but you will actually “see” it once again. We buy art not only to enhance our surroundings but because it recalls a certain mood, a special ambience or myriad feelings and emotions when we examine it. But, like the building we drive by a thousand times a week, when it is always there we cease to really see it.

Moving your art to a new position in your home will make you feel like you just bought a new piece! Since you are sophisticated enough to NOT buy art just to match the sofa, you will be surprised at how many places you can move a piece throughout your home. The minor trouble of re-hanging will be well worth the increased pleasure derived from that initial exciting investment. So, take a chance, be bold and go move a piece of original art today…you will be thrilled with the results.

Cindy

p.s. If you really get into moving your pieces you may want to consider installing molding in several rooms. We did this and can now hang art with no nails or holes in the wall by using a chain or a cord with a hook that fits the molding. You can vary the height and placement of any piece with minimal trouble.