On Gallery Walls

I’ve been thinking obsessively about gallery walls and am trying to figure out why I love them so much.

I think it’s because I love collections of art. Specifically the fact that seeing multiple pieces together can be more powerful, tell a more riveting, descriptive story or just be more delightful than one piece alone. There are definitely pieces of art that hold their own by themselves but I don’t think that’s the majority.

My fascination with collections is why I love zines and art books too. Turning page after page with thoughts from the last drawing still lingering in my mind while encountering the next page. Seeing how they relate or distance themselves, whether on purpose or by accident. It’s just a fact that if you put two pieces of art side by side, they will speak to each other. It might be negative vibes but they do say something.

And I’m fascinated by that conversation in all its subtlety and vagueness (is that a word?).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The art form is in the combination of the individual pieces, in the conversation they create by just existing together. 

These three simple gallery walls above were created by painting the abstracts first and designing from there. I printed the fish drawing a couple times and experimented with geometric shapes around them with my wax pastel. Then I practiced a couple simple hand lettered quotes for the sake of adding some text to the effect.

The process of creating these was magical and I’m excited to continue the practice. Especially since I create with so many different styles right now, it’s a fun opportunity to put all my interests into one display and watch them work together.

In this gallery: Original watercolor peacock, original abstract, hand lettered quote, watercolor galaxy, acrylic on canvas chair, ink illustration of a beluga whale, and a simple inked quote “Annie, are you okay?” from Michael Jackson. So random. So beautiful.

 

Do you love gallery walls? Why? Share with me in the comments!

Tschüss!