You have just found a new favorite piece of art. Maybe it's a dreamy screen-printed skyline, or a bridge shining in gold foil. But now the question comes, where should I hang it? Look no further, we have rounded up the best tips from our favorite local artists to guide you to having the most attractive walls in the neighborhood.
Ally Bartoszewicz
Ally creates vibrant art that will brighten up even the dreariest Pittsburgh day. Take a page out of her book with these tips to create your unique indoor rainbow, "If you're like me and tend to lean toward colorful art, using frames of the same color on a wall can make a technicolored gallery still feel cohesive! Matching matting (I recommend white!) can up level this effect even more."
Jim Zaniser of Red Robot Creative
Jim's is creating modern day vintage inspired travel posters under his brand Red Robot Creative. He's created art featuring the countries most loved cities, Pittsburgh included. When thinking about decorating your walls, for Jim it comes down to color and scale, "One thing we sometimes do is choose a color for the frame that compliments the colors in the artwork. There are framing web sites like Level Frames that let you upload a digital image of the artwork into their frames/mattes to try different color combos online before you order.
You can also compliment the artwork with the frame style — rustic, modern, contemporary, etc. Some of my prints look great with just a simple black frame, but I have other prints that look good in a distressed wood frame, and some that look good in something more colorful.
Also: scale — the wall space should determine the size of the artwork. Sounds like common sense, but it's easy to have the art too small or too large for the space available."
strawberryluna
City of Bridges Prints 1 and 2
Allison of strawberryluna specializes in colorful handpulled screen prints of her original designs. She suggests following this process for framing your art, "First, think about where you would like to hang your new piece of art and what color your walls are. This will help you choose the frame color and style quickly. Classic black, natural birch wood, or even white frames can all look really great and quickly upgrade your art game. If you have painted walls of a more saturated color, white frames can add a crisp, modern feel. Conversely, a natural wood or brown lacquered frame feels more natural-inspired if you have white walls but aren’t into a stark look.
Next, decide if you want a matte or not for your new art and frame. Sometimes mattes are necessary when the art doesn’t fit a standard size (or even an empty frame that you have on hand,) as the matte can be very helpful to make the artwork fit into your frame. And if you want to get super fancy? Double matting is an old-school trick that helps add drama. You can even choose a matte color if sticking with traditional white or cream isn’t your vibe.
And lastly, we love the look of magnetic wooden slats that clamp together and come with a hanging string for art prints. It’s definitely a more casual look and style, as it eliminates the glass or clear plexi in the front of a frame. The wood slats don’t damage the prints or posters, and their weight helps the artwork hang flat on a wall. These kinds of print hangers also allow for an easy switch out of artwork, making it easy to refresh your decor quickly."
Shane Henderson of Buildings By Shane
Shane illustrates Pittsburgh architecture from stadiums to bridges. When thinking about hanging art he suggests, "One important thing to think about is using a frame that adds to the artwork, or highlights it in some way. Simple black or white frames with a nice plain mat can draw more attention to the artwork inside, adding a modern classy look to the overall piece. You can also be creative with your framing and use it to enhance the artwork, by making the frame itself a piece of art! You could repurpose an old window frame, or build and decorate your own to match the look and feel of the artwork inside."
We hope these tips get you inspired to hang more artwork on your walls. Shop our Prints Collection for decor inspo!