It was an ordinary day. Just hung one of our favorite prints on the wall of the upstairs landing. Print was painted by Sir Roland Richardson who is one of Carol and my favorite artists. We met him years ago while visiting his gallery in the town know as Marigot which is the capital of the French side of the island known as Saint Martin. We had wanted one of his prints for a few years and finally found the one we enjoyed the most titled "Blue Agave." The print is signed and numbered as 40/150 which means he had 150 copies of his original oil painting printed on canvas for sale an our print was #40.
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| Sir Roland Richardson painting "Blue Agave" |
The smaller the amount of copies of the print, the more valuable they are. We loved the print and when we returned home to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I took the print to the gallery where I work and matted and framed.it. We placed the print in a location where everyone can view it, but were also careful not to place it where the lighting could eventually destroy the print.
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| Sir Roland signing our print we purchased |
If you too have prints that you have purchased or plan to purchase, make sure that you plan carefully for where you are going to hang the artwork in your home or apartment. Lighting is critical to the overall preservation of the work of art and it is complex when you try to get it just right. The slightest difference in the direction of the light source and the type of light selected, be it fluorescent, incandescent, halogen, LED, natural, etc. can make all the difference in the world as to how long the piece of art will survive. A few hints would be: use low-watt bulbs if possible, don't display art in direct sunlight and don't keep your favorite prints on display in highly lit areas for long periods of time.
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| We have it hanging beneath a skylight, but the skylight has a shade over it. |
Naturally make sure you have glass on the print if it's possible that someone could touch it. At the gallery we can place regular glass on the print or we also have non-glare glass, conservation glass and museum glass to choose from. The museum is the best since you can't even tell there is glass on the print unless you touch it. Of course, it is perhaps 3 times the price of regular glass, but if you have a painting that is extremely valuable to you, the cost is well worth it. Sir Roland loves to paint en plain air which means directly from nature in the outdoors where sunlight is abundant.
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| Another view of "Blue Agave" |
But, make sure you don't display your work in direct sunlight. Your print will eventually fade or discolor depending on how many hours of direct sunlight may be striking it. I hung our print at the top of our stairs, close to the skylight that we have. The skylight is a specialized glass and any sunlight coming through the skylight does not directly touch our print. Please make sure you check the lighting in your home if you have any pieces of artwork that hang on the walls. The light you chose to use to display your artwork can make a difference as to how it appears to the viewer. Incandescent light brings out the warmer colors of the color spectrum, such as reds, oranges and yellows. Seascapes which are predominately blues and greens may appear flat under that lighting condition. You may favor natural light for those scenes. You may remember the old-time portraiture light that was fastened to the top of prints which hung over the print to light it. That more than lightly would be the worst type of light for any print and will damage the print quickly. Our Richardson print is lit from above by the light coming in our skylight, but never has direct sunlight touching it. Naturally, in the evening the incandescent lights will show off the print, but the colors may be a bit different then they are during daylight. I must admit, I love artwork and photography and have over 100 pieces hanging on the walls of my home. Just viewing it everyday makes my life a bit more interesting and enjoyable. Our empty wall apace is very minimal and my wife Carol keeps telling me we have to stop buying more pieces to hang while on vacation. Problem is, we always find a piece and say, "Where would that look good in our house?" I keep meaning to take photos of my top 25 pieces and post them on my blog, but I would have a tough time deciding what would be my top 25. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
PS - Below are a few of my favorites that have been purchased in the past 20 years which are on display in my home. I was careful with the lighting to make sure they wouldn't be exposed to direct sunlight in fear they could be compromised.
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