Pictures are hung; men are hanged: a how-to guide

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When one collects art, and when one has not won the lottery, one is eventually faced with the limitations of the space/time continuum, i.e., you run out of wall space.

We already have paintings leaning up against one space or another, so when I purchased two Britney LaFaye paintings and was gifted one by EK Huckaby, it became a more pressing matter. Today I finally bit the bullet and pulled everything in the hall down from the wall and started over.

Herein follow tips on how to do this more easily.

First, tell Cecil the Pest™ in no uncertain terms that his assistance is not needed.

Measure the linear wall spaces available to you. Measure each of the pieces and place a sticky note on each one with its dimensions — this allows you to do some rough math. In my case, it let me know up front that my preferred grouping would not fit on my preferred wall.

Lay out the art in an ABORTIVE ATTEMPT. Look for resonances and flow and rhythm.

a living room with a wall's worth of art laid out in a row

It is worth noticing that this is not the final layout I went with.

For each piece, measure the width. We’ll be using LaFaye’s “Untitled” as an example. It is 20” across.

an abstract painting by Britney LaFaye

Flip the piece over and measure to the center of the top. Write that measurement on the frame for the next time you have to do this! Most of the pieces I’m rehanging already have their measurements on them and that is handy.

Measure down from that center mark to where the hanging wire will peak (or where the hanging brad is). Write that measurement on the frame as well.

a man's hand holding a ruler and the hanging wire of a painting, measuring the distance from the top of the frame

Trace the frame on newspaper or kraft paper. Measure to the center top and down to the hanging point. Mark it. (I use a charcoal pencil; it’s softer and won’t tear the paper as easily.)

a piece of newspaper with a cross marked on it where the hanging nail will go

Use painter’s tape to hang this piece of paper on your wall.

a piece of newspaper taped to a wall

Repeat with all your items to be hung. It’s a good idea to scribble some identifier on a sticky note and attach that to the piece of paper.

several pieces of newspaper taped to a wall as positions for works of art

Do not worry at this stage about accuracy. This is an ABORTIVE ATTEMPT. That’s the whole point of mocking the wall up with newspaper and tape: Everything is temporary and movable.

a whole wall of newspaper squares

Next up: GESTALT >> SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATION — moving the pieces into their final position, working for balance and flow, and finally, the hanging. Check back Monday for the rest of the helpful tips! (Yes, there are more!)