Let’s face it; we have wall spaces that come in all shapes and sizes. There are those narrow spaces between doorways, that awkward little place at the foot of the stairs, the tall wall at the landing going upstairs, the space over the king size bed. How do you find a painting that’s going to fit AND look so good you never want to part with it? After all, making an investment in art can be expensive, so you want to make sure you love it with all your heart and you know where you’re going to hang it. Unless, of course, you’re like me, and you do ‘art on rotation’!
But first, let me implore you, do not be afraid to hang that massive painting that you have fallen in love with on the wall where it takes up most of the space. It will absolutely add drama to the room; it will be the statement piece that makes your heart pound and makes your visitors drool with envy and admiration at your decorating style. Paintings that fill the wall are amazing. It’s your home; don’t be ordinary, be rare, be you!
Which brings me to a painting I created for a friend who inspires me with her uniqueness. She shared her vision with me when she was heading out the door. ‘Glowing with Life Force’ was hanging vertically, (I created it to hang horizontally or vertically) and she said, ‘I can imagine you doing one of your water bubble paintings on this shape, bubbles rising up’. I practically shoved her out the door so I could start that painting!
The vision she planted in me became her painting. It came together so naturally, partly because I was fully committed to the image in my mind. The size and shape of the canvas, 40 inches high by 16 inches wide, meant that the bubbles would start in the dark depths of the ocean and rise up towards the light, towards the surface where sunlight shines through of the water. It was the size of the canvas, and the shape, that inspired the energy, movement and drama in the painting that I titled, ‘Be Rare. Be You’.
I often create abstract paintings with compositions that will work both vertically and horizontally. As I’m painting, I turn the canvas every which way and work out the composition so that it feels balanced and has impact hanging both vertically and horizontally, or in the case of a square canvas, by rotating it. ‘Loyalty to the Earth’ was actually painted to work 3 different ways. That’s the painting that was awarded the ‘Mary Pratt Crystal Award’ for Canada 150, Society of Canadian Artists. I’m kind of honoured by that one, since Mary Pratt herself, one of Canada’s iconic artists, chose it for the prize.
The composition fills the space and colours spill over the canvas. It is inevitable that the final creation is influenced by the boundaries set upon it by the size and shape of that canvas. Whether it is in the creation stage or the display stage, the impact that the artwork makes in your home depends on the space it fills in your heart…and on your wall. Be rare; be you; be original. If you love the painting, you’ll find the perfect place for it in your life…and in your home.
May the colours of Autumn fill your days with joy!
Monika