This weekend I took all my UGallery art and made a gallery wall. It was so much fun that I have to send you all some inspiration to create your own artful wall. I scoured the web to see which site gave the best advice on setting up a gallery wall and found it at the one and only, Apartment Therapy. Apartment Therapy’s article How to: Create a Gallery Wall is exactly what you’ll need before getting started. Read their five easy steps after the break.

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We’ve talked about framing and matting photographs: easy peasy. Framing an original painting can be just as easy (if not easier). So, how do you frame works on canvas? Here is a break down:

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The frame on your art is like the cherry on top of a sundae. If you don’t like maraschino cherries, bear with me. A frame is the final addition to art that makes the whole package complete. Although it requires some forethought, framing your art can be a fun exercise in personal style.

Start with the piece you want framed. For now, we are talking about flat works on paper like prints and photographs.

The UGallery tradition is to get custom cut mats fitted to ready-made frames. The team starts with a trip to any home décor store to pick out the frame! Make sure to buy a frame that is bigger than the piece, so you have room to play. Ready-made frames come in all shapes and sizes. Explore and have fun with your selection.

Once you find the frame that speaks to your soul, it’s time to get a mat. Custom cut mats will look sophisticated and clean. A local frame shop or art store should be able to cut a mat for you on the spot! Make sure to bring the frame and the artwork with you, so they can measure correctly. When the store is finished making your mat, ask them to tape the print or photograph to the mat.

Once you have your mat, frame, and art in one place, you’re ready to go. Open the frame, wipe the glass free of dust and insert the mat and art inside. Add the back of the frame last and secure some of the fastens. Check the front to make sure it is dust-free before completely securing the back. If it looks good, close all the latches on the back and get ready to hang!

Do you have more questions about framing your art? Email info@ugallery.com with any questions and we will help you out.

German designer Yvonne Schroeder created these corner frames for Details. They’ll set you back $400, and I can’t imagine they’re good for the artwork, but they will make standing in the corner a whole lot more entertaining…

Oils and acrylics are two of the most common media in painting. While oils have been around for centuries, acrylic paints were first made available in the 1950s.

Each media has it’s own pros and cons. Here are some of the main features that differentiate the two types of paint:

Drying speed.

Acrylic paints dry very quickly, allowing an artist to apply multiple layers of paint without much wait time. Oils take longer to dry, but give the artist ample time to edit and adjust the paint they apply.

Blending

Due to its chemical composition, oil paints can blend with other colors quite fluidly. Acrylics don’t tend to blend as well, so you’ll see more distinct separations between colors in acrylic pieces.

Thickness

Oil paint tends to be thicker than acrylic paint. Some oil paintings may also tend to appear more textured than an acrylic painting. (it is possible to achieve the same thickness as oils by mixing acrylic paints with other substances). Conversely, acrylic paints can be thinned with water and used to produce a wide range of effects, including “washes” similar to watercolors.

Color

Oil paint produces deeper color than acrylics. Oil bases are able to absorb more pigment (color) than acrylic paint bases can.

Dynamism

Acrylic paints can be drawn or painted on once they dry with materials such as charcoal or chalk making them useful for mixed media artists.

Notice the gradual color transitions in this well blended oil painting by John Diehl.

This acrylic piece by William Mercado has more sharply delinated colors.

Andrew Watts created this translucent piece using several thin layers of oil paint. Because of oil paint’s slow drying time, this painting took over 6 months to complete.

This AK Daves painting shows the light “wash” that acrylics can take on when mixed with water.

Fingerpainter Iris Scott demonstrates the textures oil paint is capable of.

A giclée print of an Alex Greenburg photograph, available at our Paperwork site.

Giclée

(Pronounced “zhee-clay”) is a fine art digital print made on ink-jet printers. The name was coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne and it is associated with prints using fade-resistant, archival inks produced on large format printers. Artists generally use inkjet printing to make reproductions of their original two-dimensional artwork, photographs or computer-generated art.

We offer archival, pigment giclées of our Ugallery originals at our Paperwork site.

Abstract

Abstract painting, sometimes called non-figurative painting, generally relies on colors, lines, and shapes instead of recognizable images or symbols for its compositional elements.

Here are some examples from our collection:

Mylene Iwanowsky “Urban Myth”

Scott Dykema “Untitled (Many Piece Panel)”

Christine Soccio “Degradation”

Giselle Sebag “#90”

Art = happiness. Simple as that! A joyful first-time art buyer with two new Paperwork prints.

How does one start buying art? Apartment Therapy ran a great article addressing the oft intimidating art buying experience. Here are the highlights:

Rule #1: Buy what you love. It may take a little while, but you’ll know what you love when you see it, and it’s fun to look.

Rule #2: Have confidence. Although art can seem intimidating, many artists and gallery owners are happy to talk with browsers about the artwork. (I promise we are! Call us anytime)

Rule #3: Set a budget. No matter how much (or how little) you spend, you can find artwork in your budget. Handmade prints and posters are an inexpensive alternative to original paintings. Checkout Ugallery’s sister site Paperwork which offers prints for as little as $20.

Rule #4: Display it. For tips on how to hang art, check out this post. The general rule of thumb is eye-height or 60” from the ground.

UGallery artist Greg Minah’s work hangs on the left

Design blog Apartment Therapy wrote up a great post about how to clean and maintain artwork and we thought we’d pass it along to our readers. Enjoy!

Dislaimer: This advice is intended for light cleaning. If your art is valuable or damaged you should consider having it professionally cleaned. If you are unsure of how cleaning will affect something remember to test a small hidden area before diving in.

Oil Paintings and Watercolors: Check out this video with step by step instructions for how to clean your oil and watercolor works with A LOAF OF BREAD (not joking).

Framed Artwork: Spray some glass cleaner onto a cotton cloth and then use that to clean your glassed artwork. Lambs wool is excellent for dusting really nice frames.

Ceramic and Glass: Clean these items by hand as you would washing fancy dishware using a 1% soap solution. Toothbrushes help to get into tiny spaces. If you need to get any major gunk, a razor blade held perpendicular to the object can be pushed across it to clean the surface.

Paper, Fabric and Silk: VERY CAREFULLY use an automotive cleaning cloth that is damp but almost dry to remove surface dirt.

Steel, Iron and Aluminum: A soft brush (toothbrush) and a 1% soap solution can be used in most cases. Mild chemicals can be used to remove light rusting.

Bronze: Dust it to keep it clean and you can occasionally apply wax. Don’t try to remove the patina, it is part of its charm!

Marble: Marble is a very sturdy stone so it can be cleaned with various mild cleaners.

Wood and Leather: A slightly damp cloth should take care of most light cleaning. Using a fine paintbrush you can work butcher’s wax (in a can) into wood and leather. Polish it up with a soft cloth. (avoid spray waxes because they contain lots of other ingredients.

Ancient and Valuable Art: Dust it with a fine bristle paint brush and leave it alone.