Gallery Walls
How to create a gallery wall.
The best gallery walls grow organically with bits and pieces being added over time. The wall in my kitchen is a testament to my family’s life over the last 20 years; I have framed some of my children’s school artwork, a few holiday sketches, a framed paper bag my husband brought back from NYC, a lovely watercolour of a special birthday party painted by a friend, and some paintings by my mother. None have any monetary value at all but it’s the wall I would rush to save if the house burnt down!
A more formal gallery wall can be just as easy to create. It’s probably easier to start by laying your artworks on the floor and moving them round until you feel the balance is right. I always start with a larger piece, place it off centre and then add other things around it.
Unless you are specifically aiming for a very structured and perfect array try to offset paintings; this is a good way of avoiding too much measuring and putting yourself under pressure to achieve perfection.
If it’s your first go, after you’ve done your layout on the floor pluck up your courage and bang in that first nail or hook. Step back as you are adding pieces and check that you like the arrangement and that the bottom edges are horizontal. If you are in a rental property try Command Strips although I have to say that mine are all melting in this hot London weather. A useful trick is to have a little ball of Blutac; if the painting isn’t quite straight you can place a little ball of it in the bottom corner to adjust the hang a little.
Don’t hesitate if it doesn’t feel right; just start again! Don’t worry about making marks or holes in the wall; they will be hidden by the paintings.
Creating a gallery wall is very personal and creative but can be quite daunting if you’ve never done it, or if it’s just not your thing! I got a U in my Physics A Level but I am very happy to bang a few hooks in a wall and create a fun wall.
If you don’t feel confident about it, but are probably better at physics than I ever was, come along to one of the Picture Hanging Masterclasses we hold with lovely Claudia of @artandppl . We will be running the next one in the autumn in the new studio in Brackenbury Village, West London. We will send the date out over the summer so make sure you are on the mailing list if you’d like to know about it.
