The Gallery Wall

Wall by Artspace

Some ideas never go out of style. The gallery wall is one of them. It's one of my favorite ways to display artwork. A gallery wall can be created to suit the minimalist (see above), or it can be "over the top" (see below), or anything in between. You can create a gallery wall from work you already own, or you can start one and add to it as you collect over time.

Gallery Wall by Jeffrey Bilhuber

Sometimes hanging art in this manner is called "salon style", because it first became popular in 17th century Paris, in the days of the grand salons. Here's a bit of history, from the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College:

Image from Somerset House, London

"The “Salon-Style Hang” is a method of hanging and displaying paintings that originated in 1667 with the beginning of the annual Royal Academy salon in Paris. The major entertainment events of the year, salons were juried showcases exhibiting the best of the best work of the year, by both students studying in the Royal Academy and by established masters. Because so many works were to be crammed into the exhibitions, walls were hung floor-to-ceiling with paintings on many scales and of many different genres. Usually the largest paintings with the grandest subject matter (history and religion) were hung highest on the wall, while more intimately-scaled work like still lifes were hung at eye-level or below."

Photo from West Elm

Well, over three centuries later, the style is still with us--and it has recently taken the decorating world by storm. A recent article in the Washington Post interviews experts on various approaches to gallery walls. They discuss using a subject matter theme, or a consistent framing theme, or even abandoning all rules and just hanging what you love! I like the interesting color theme in the grouping just below. It really sings.

Gallery Wall from Ace of Space

Whatever your personal preference, don't be afraid to give the gallery wall a try. It's not as hard as it might look. And it's a wonderful way to make a big statement, without breaking the bank on a single huge painting. You can even incorporate objects other than artwork, such as mirrors or sconces. Let your imagination run wild!

Photo from Better Homes and Gardens

Sorolla Fans Rejoice!

"Maria dressed as Valencian Peasant Girl" (detail)
(c) Sorolla 1906

Faithful readers know that I am a huge fan of the Spanish painter Sorolla (or Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, if you must know the full name!). Sorolla is perhaps one of the least well know of the great Impressionists these days. He achieved great recognition during his lifetime (1863-1923), but has faded into relative obscurity, especially outside of Europe.

"Women Walking on the Beach"
Sorolla, 1909

But there is good news for all Sorolla fans: The National Gallery in London has mounted a major Sorolla exhibition that is hanging right now. It runs until July 7, 2019. This is the first major exhibit of his work in England in over a century. Entitled "Sorolla: Spanish Master of Light", this exhibit should prove to be a giant step in bringing his work back into the forefront.

"Sewing the Sail"
Sorolla, 1896

The London exhibit includes over sixty works. One third of them are from private collections all over the world--I love to see paintings from private collections, because it is such a pleasure to confront new work that has not been featured time and time again in books and magazines. I especially like to see the miracles that Sorolla could work with whites. The two paintings immediately above are like a master class in seeing and painting white!

"Garden Grotto, Alcazar de Seville"
(c) Sorolla, 1910

Sorolla painted all sorts of subjects with equal ease and élan. From landscapes to portraits, from peasants to aristocracy, it seems as if he could do anything. And like all greats, he made it look so effortless! But we know from his studies (many of which will be included in the exhibit) that much behind the scenes work was done to lay the ground for the bravura strokes that would make the finished painting.

"Alahanbra, Granada"
Sorolla, 1910

For those of us who can't make the journey to London, there's a beautiful four minute video showing the exhibition, which you can see here. Or if you are in New York, don't miss his fantastic cycle of paintings at the Hispanic Society--learn about it here. Enjoy!

"A Street in Granada"
(c) Sorolla, 1910

Remains of the Day

My palette at the end of the day

One of my grandmother's favorite sayings was "Waste not, want not". And since I was raised by parents who grew up during the depression, the discipline of thrift was definitely part of my upbringing! As a result, I hate to let any of my painting supplies (most of which are very expensive) go to waste.

I learned years ago from Kevin Macpherson that he scrapes up all the remnants of paint from his palette at the end of the day, and makes a big puddle of "mud". This "mud" is a usually a mid- to dark- toned neutral (an example of mine appears above). It is perfect for blending with other colors! Neutrals like this add a richness and depth to colors from the tube, and help reduce their value and lessen their intensity. These are good things to do, because much of a landscape painting is composed of midtones that are not brilliant in intensity. You can see some examples in the color wheel below. It shows what happens when a midtone gray is added to a pure yellow, orange, red, violet, blue or green.

Photo courtesy Gamblin Oil Colors

If you are so inclined, you can purchase ready-made tubes of various mid-tone grays, such as one of the Portland Grays, manufactured by Gamblin. But I find that the puddles of mud scraped up from my palette stand me in pretty good stead as neutrals. I even save mine by storing them in empty tubes that you can buy in art supply stores. 

Another benefit of saving the "remains of the day" is that it encourages me to squeeze out plenty of paint at the beginning of the session. Many painters (including me) have a tendency to scrimp on paint, which definitely have a negative impact on the painting process. Since I know that none of my paint will go to waste, I feel free to squeeze out liberal portions. So here's to thriftiness and a low waste process!