Picture Gallery

About every spare moment we have is spent putting things away and setting up the new place. Last weekend we decided to hang some of the art that we have collected over time. Hanging art is the true meaning of settling in in my book. It's like icing on cake or the perfect hair cut. It invokes that sense of, "yeah, this/I/we belong here." It is that big sigh of relief, that toss your feet on the coffee table, that yoga pants TV watching laying on a big pillow feeling. You know the one. 

I'm not one to buy all matchy matchy art. In fact, I'm the total opposite of that type of art buyer. I'm sort of a "I love that. I'll make it work at my place" kind of art buyer. Not that there is anything wrong with buying art that works with your furniture, yeah right, oh who am I kidding. I try not to but I completely disdain buying art because it matches the furniture. It's a thing I have. Matching art to the furniture makes me shudder. Art is personal. Art needs to speak to the buyer not to the furniture. If you buy your art because it matches your furniture than please for the love of all things creative...STOP! Buy art because you love it. You'll spend less money because you won't replace your pieces very often, if at all. Some of our stuff is over 20 years old and we still love it. Sorry...end of rant.

Considering my preference for a lot of wall space I'm not sure what I was looking at when I picked this place to live. It only has one wall with what I consider prime hanging space. All the other walls have something on them like the fireplace, a window, a door or a large piece of furniture. It is just too odd.

 

On Saturday we decided to toss up some of our pictures in a gallery type way. I'm sort of liking it though over the next few weeks I may swap out a picture or two for something else as I find it. This was really JR's idea. I've been trying to get him to adopt it for years but had given up. He and I both grew up with a single piece of art on a single wall and he was pretty set on it. Over the years I had been cluttering (his term) the walls with just too much stuff. I believe that I have finally brought him over to the dark side. My evil plan has succeeded.

When designing this particular gallery I stayed with the common theme of architecture and frame color. All these pieces have a building/buildings in them and all are framed in dark brown or black frames. Though one of the frames looks more silvery gold in this photo but it is really dark. I was really surprised at how much art I own with an architecture theme I had around the house. I seem to be drawn to buildings. Maybe, I was an architect in another life. I know of at least 3 more pieces that would fit the theme on this wall if only I had the space. I don't so they'll have to go somewhere else or end up in the rotation. Yes, I rotate my art depending on my mood. I have collected so much stuff that a rotation system must be applied.

Next up on the decorating parade is the fireplace mantle. I'm hesitant to start on this project with the holidays coming up. I usually string my own garland and wreaths from free cuttings I pick up at the garden store (from the parts of the Christmas trees they cut off) and wire. I tend to put this homemade very fragrant garland up on the mantle and swagging up the stair railing (did ya'll see the how-to I posted about 3 years ago about this subject? No? Would you like me to reprise it?). So, I can't see putting too much effort into decorating the mantle with non-holiday stuff until after the holidays.

There you have the progress of settling in so far. I'll keep ya'll posted as we go along because I just know that you'll be hanging on your seats waiting.

Love,
M