How to Pair Art Together

Hanging art together on the wall can be tricky. But I want to show you how to pair art together so that the art looks like it belongs together on the wall. If art doesn’t go together it will look weird. You want art to pair well together. Learn how to pair art together below with my 5 tips! 

How to Pair Art Together

Here are 5 tips for how to pair art together so that the artwork looks great hanging on the wall! These tips are for hanging two pieces side by side as a diptych. For more ideas follow me on Pinterest and check out my framing and display board.

Pair Art Together with Colours 

Colour is one of the easiest ways to pair art together. You want both artwork that are hanging beside each other to have similar colours in them. For example, think of how the art is connected. If it is different art, maybe it has the same colour of navy blue in each painting. You want to make sure the colours go together. Neutral colours are grey, brown, black, white. Similar colours should look the same but may be slightly darker, lighter or brighter. 

Pair Art Together with Style 

The artwork should be in the same or similar style so that it makes sense as to why they are hanging side by side. For example, two black and white photographs, to colourful abstract paintings etc. If the styles are very different abstract and a realistic painting then they won’t go together. You might get away with different styles of art hanging near each other for a gallery wall because in that arrangement it is a group of multiple artwork not just two pieces. 

Pair Art Together with Size 

When you hang two pieces of art side by side they should be the same size of art so that they look even and balanced. You can choose to have a gap of 1-3 inches separating the art. 

Pair Art Together with Lines

Your artwork can connect with lines either obvious lines or non obvious. An obvious line would be a thick black paint stroke that starts on one painting and then comes across on the other painting. A non obvious line could be a horizon line on a landscape. Ideally the lines should match up to make the art look more connected! 

Pair Art Together with Frames

Lastly, if you are hanging art together as a diptych -two pieces side by side you want to make sure they are in the same frame so that they go together. Again, this doesn’t apply if you are hanging art on a gallery wall because that would be a collection of art 6 or more. You should be able to choose the same frame and matting because the art is of similar colours and styles that it will go with the same frame. If you need help framing your art check out this blog post about framing.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas on displaying your art! You can click any one of the icons to follow me on social media. 

3 Tips to Style a Shelf

3 tips to style a shelf so that you can display your art collection proudly in your home. Learn from artist Jackie Partridge on how you can display art on a shelf! Do you have open shelving in your home? Or maybe you would like to add shelves to display your art collection, family photographs, some candles and fresh cut flowers. Maybe you have even tried to style your shelves before and they just end up looking either too crowded or worse.. BORING!

With some knowledge about composition and art display you will be able to style better shelves in your home. Read my three tips below!

3 Tips to Style a Shelf

Tip 1 - to Style your shelf- Experiment and play

Part of styling is about having fun and arranging items to what you feel drawn to. Everyone has their own personal design style and this shows up in how we dress ourselves and how we decorate our homes. Through playing and experimenting you will naturally discover what your eye is drawn to and what you enjoy looking at. Remember the whole point of open shelving is displaying the items you love. Through the experimentation process you will discover what works by fiddling and tinkering until you find the spot that is just right for your objects. You can really play with different textures on a shelf by having a mixture of textured objects that interest you.

Tip 2- to Style your shelf-Add books

You can use books to stack them horizontally and put items on top of them to create different heights or levels. You can also display the books vertically by using hardcover books to stand up on their own or you can use book ends. A large heavy object like a plant can also act as a book end. Books help take up space and can be arranged as beautiful and colourful objects. They also look natural- we are used to seeing books on a shelf. You can arrange your books by size or even by colour. The Home Edit does a great job of arranging books by colour in what they call rainbow order. 

Tip 3 - to Style your shelf-Create variety and a focal point 

It helps to understand composition to make a styled shelf look beautiful and not too crowded. Even if you don’t understand composition just know that you need a focal point. You should aim to have one focal point per shelf. You can create a focal point on a shelf in a number of ways - including through contrast - dark objects next to light or soft next to rough etc. You should create space around the object you want to show off. You might pick an object that is larger or bright to be your focal point. The focal point should stand out from a distance and be what your eye is attracted to when you look at your display shelves. 

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Other Helpful Posts:

How to Choose the Right Frame for Your Art

Find the Perfect Place to Hang Your Art

14 Considerations for Buying Art

Avoid these three things:

• Avoid making things look to symmetrical or perfect

• Avoid making the shelves look to crowded -just in an artwork there should be areas for you to rest your eyes

• Avoid keeping things the same-take a look at Pinterest for inspiration. You can follow some of my home decor and art displaying boards for ideas. With shelving you can change out items to add holiday or seasonal decor like flowers, leaves, pumpkins or pinecones. The possibilities are endless. Just remember you can rearrange your shelves at any time which is part of the fun! 

Follow me on Pinterest for more inspiration!

Need some art for your shelf? Check out the art in my shop!

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14 Considerations for Buying Art

14 considerations for buying art - what you need to think about before you start expanding your art collection! It doesn’t feel like home for me until I start hanging things up on the wall. But there are a lot of decisions to make when it comes to selecting the right piece of art for you! Learn from me, artist Jackie Partridge as I help you with what you need to consider when purchasing artwork!

Art is what makes your house a home. It makes your home come alive and become a place that you enjoy to spend time in.

When it comes to buying art first and foremost you need to buy what speaks to you. It has to be something that you absolutely love. Before even designing a room it helps to know what will be going on the wall. Let your art collection be the focal point.

There are many things to consider when it comes to buying artwork for your home.

Handmade paper art by Jackie Partridge -check out the shop here!

Here is a list of 14 questions to consider when buying art:

1. Is it important to buy local?

2. Is it important to buy from someone you know?

3. Where will this artwork be displayed?

4. What size of space do you have?

5. What does the decor of your space look like? 

6. Does the art come framed or need to be framed?

7. What frame or display method suits the artwork?

8. Does this piece of art mesh well with other artwork or photographs?

9. What is the budget to spend on art?

10. Is this the right investment for me and my home at this time?

11. What colour are the walls, flooring and nearby furniture?

12. What is your design style? 

13. Is this something you will love in the future or is it just a trend?

14. Is there enough lighting for the artwork?

Once you have thought about the above considerations it will be easier for you to make a purchasing decision.

Owning original art is an investment in your home and how you express your sense of style/personality. Therefore, make sure you do your research so you can be completely satisfied with your purchase!

Since art is an investment I offer a certificate of authenticity to be able to feel comfortable about the investment in the future.

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Tip for buying Art:

If you are working with a lower budget to buy art you can reach out to an artist by asking them for a smaller work or a print of something they have already made.

You could also consider joining your favourite artist's mailing list to stay up to date with when they offer sales or discounts.

For me, I have my annual art sale every November where I give a discount of 20% off and free shipping. In addition, my email subscribers have a chance to purchase art in the last week of October as pre-sale to get something they might have had their eye on. Email list members also are first to know about new art before it is released!

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Head to my shop to join the list and see what is available!

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How to choose the right frame for your art

How to display art on a shelf (3 tips)

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My BEST tips for Displaying, Framing and Purchasing Art

My best tips for displaying, framing and purchasing art all in one helpful post! I wanted to make things easy for you and compile my favourite resources about growing your art collection in one place. I have collected my BEST tips and added them here for you! Learn how to frame your art, how to purchase art or get art commissioned and where to display your art in your home!

Deciding to Buy Art for the First Time?

Read this!

If you haven’t purchased art before there are 14 considerations you will want to make to decide which piece of art is right for you. You can read more HERE. If you would like to read more about art commissions or getting a piece of artwork commissioned by me - you can click here!

Unsure About Framing Art?

I can help with that. In this blog post I share about how to choose the right frame to display your artwork proudly in your home. See more HERE.

Not Sure Where to Hang Your Art?

I have added a list of 16 ideas of places to hang art in your home. I also give tips about hanging your art like choosing a gallery wall or hanging art as a pair in a diptych. Read the tips HERE.

Stop Wondering How to Display Art on a Shelf!

Learn how to style your shelf to display your art collection and other meaningful objects like framed family photos, souvenirs and more. Read more here!

Ready to start or expand your art collection for your home? You can check out my shop here!

Connect with me on social media by clicking on one of the icons below!

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Find the Perfect Spot to Hang Your Art (16 + Ideas!)

Finding the perfect spot to hang your art can be hard! I get that! I will show you how to find the perfect spot to hang your art in this blog post. I will give you over 16 ideas of where you can hang artwork in your home! It can be hard to choose a spot to hang your collection of art. You might find yourself asking “where should I hang this art?” Learn from artist Jackie Partridge - I’ll show you how!

Art adds beauty to your home. It can also make you happy looking at something you like or it can create a feeling of calm. You should hang art in an area you spend a lot of time in- so you enjoy it more. Lastly, art can tie the look of a room together and create a home you love which I know you deserve!

In this post, I am sharing over 16 ideas of places where you can hang art in your home. Giving you tips along the way!

If you are making an investment and collecting art then make sure you are displaying it in a way that it stands out and commands attention to get that “wow factor” when someone walks in a room. You can learn more about choosing the perfect frame here.

Let’s Look at Some Rooms You Can Hang Art… (It’s all of them except maybe the garage and attic?)

Hanging it in your bedroom - beside a mirror, near a spot you spend reading or relaxing like above your bed or beside your favourite chair.

In your nursery or child’s room - art can create a sense of calm and can be visually stimulating for young children - you could hang art above a crib or bed, on a small frame on a shelf or in a group of photos, quotes or other art you may have on display - this type of display is called a gallery wall.

In the bathroom - since bathrooms are a smaller space you will want to choose a piece that is smaller, so there’s enough wall space for the art to breathe.

In the kitchen - you can hang framed art on the wall by your kitchen table and you can hang a smaller piece of art by a patio door. 

In the dining room - you can hang your art by the table. Hanging a larger or commissioned piece of art can really set the tone. You can also hang smaller pieces in row as a group of two or three above a buffet or side table.

In the home office - you can set smaller pieces of art that are framed resting on your desk, you can hang pieces on the wall that will relax and calm you like simple modern designs on the wall by your desk. You can choose art that isn’t too bright so you can stay focused and productive! 

In the laundry room - you can really be playful. I have a few pieces of round denim paper and a denim pocket with added recycled blue jean paper. Laundry rooms are often smaller so hanging a smaller artwork on the wall by itself is best. Hanging art in this room can really help to brighten your mood -especially if you are not a fan of doing laundry!

In the living room -  you can arrange multiple pieces of art on a shelf and mix in some framed family photos in black and white or sepia tones that will complement that art on the shelf because they are neutral toned photographs. In the living room, it also looks great having art leaning on a fireplace mantle or displayed as a gallery wall above the couch.  You can read more tips on displaying art on a shelf here!

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In a play room or rec room - in these rooms you can choose art that is more bright or playful. You can choose bold shapes and arrange art on a gallery wall by hanging different sized frames of art and family photos. You could even add some drawings or paintings your children did in frames as sentimental pieces of abstract art. 

In a larger entryway - you might want to have one larger artwork to create a statement piece. You could consider getting a commissioned painting done. 

In a smaller entryway - you could hang two artworks that are similar side by side as a pair. It’s good to have the art be one of the first things a person sees as they enter your home to give a welcoming vibe.

In a home gym - while running on the treadmill or working out it’s good to have something to look at, whether it’s a TV or a piece of art you love looking at. You need something that is going to motivate you or be your sense of calm during an intense workout. 

General Tips:

Arranging art on a shelf or dresser - you can choose to arrange framed artworks with space in between them or you can overlap them slightly. There are a lot of great ideas on Pinterest. I have a board all about framing and art display -check it out here.

Creating a gallery wall - you can create your gallery wall in an even and mathematical approach- where you measure and have artwork lined up in rows all evenly spaced. Or you can create a gallery wall that is more organic using different sized frames and even different sized spacing. Again, Pinterest is an amazing resource and I encourage you to follow me on Pinterest and check out my board “Framing and Art Display.”

Hanging a diptych or triptych -  a diptych is when you have a pair of artworks that are the same size hung side by side separated by at least and an inch or two of space. A triptych is three artworks that are the same size that hang in a row evenly spaced. Art that is hanging in a row like this should go together and look like they belong. It can be art by the same artist, art with similar colour and subject matter (like all flower paintings). The art should really connect with one another since they are hanging so closely. 

Hanging art on its own - hanging art on its own should really command space. If art is smaller (under a foot wide) then consider hanging it on a smaller wall like in a bathroom. If art is larger and it commands its own space because of its size or bold colours then it can hang on its own on a larger wall. Art should have enough wall space around it to breathe with out looking crowded and making the walls look smaller or like they are closing in on you.

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Related Articles

How to Choose the Right Frame

My Best Art Display Tips

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