You chose your favorite piece of art, or maybe you created something yourself. It’s important to provide your custom framed artwork with the right kind of light. You don’t want there to be a glare, uneven lighting, or shadows to affect how the art is viewed. Having the right lighting in the right spot can enhance the artwork. The trouble is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all way to provide perfect lighting. There are some types of glass you can use for custom framed artwork that will help reduce some glare and keep reflections at a minimum. Here are a few tips for using lighting to enhance your custom framed artwork.
Avoid Using Direct Light
When hanging your custom framed artwork, it’s best to hang it in a place where there isn’t direct natural light. Indirect light is usually okay, but direct natural light should be avoided. When your art or even other pictures are exposed to direct light it can cause them to fade over time. UV rays can cause your artwork to fade and age. Try to use north-facing walls as they can provide softer lighting during most of the daytime hours. East-facing walls will have natural light during the mornings and walls facing the south will have more direct light during the afternoon. This is the hottest and strongest. West-facing walls will get more direct sunlight during the evenings.
Using Ambient Light
To provide ambient light for custom framed artwork, position it above or beside a side table where light can provide additional depth and ambiance. You may want to move a floor lamp or a table lamp so it can shed light on the art as well as in the space around it.
Ceiling-Mounted Accent Lighting
Spotlights can be used to provide direct lighting on individual works of art and highlighting them. Ceiling fixtures for accent lights can be either surface-mounted or recessed and can allow adjustments to the direction of light. They can also be adjusted so that the spread of light will cover and complement the custom framed artwork.
Track Lighting
Modern track lighting options are cleaner and more minimalistic than previous styles. By choosing the right lamps, they can work about the same as accent lights that are ceiling-mounted, but with some advantages. For instance, they are easier to install, and they offer a lot more flexibility.
Wall Washing
This technique highlights artwork, but it doesn’t necessarily hit each individual piece of art in the room. Instead, the wall is “washed” with light. Wall washing distributes light across a whole wall and can come in many forms. Light can be provided by recessed lighting, track lighting, ceiling-mounted, or surface-mounted lighting. You can even use lighting from the floors.
Picture Lights
This type of lighting is mounted on the wall or directly on the individual frame. It works by providing a light source very close to the custom framed artwork but the fixtures use lamps that are very low wattage. It can provide an intimate touch to a work of art and invites people to take a closer look. You can choose between those which are battery operated and remotely controlled.
Types of Bulbs to Use to Highlight Custom Framed Artwork
The best choice of bulbs for highlighting custom framed artwork are LED lights. The reason they are a better choice is they don’t give off heat or emit infrared or ultraviolet light that could be damaging. As additional advantages, they are long-lasting and energy-efficient. Don’t use fluorescent lighting since they are not flattering of colors used in the art. Fluorescent fixtures emit UV rays that can fade the artwork.
Contact an Atlanta Custom Frame Professional
Do you have a special piece of art you want a special frame for? At Suburban Custom Frames, a professional framer in Atlanta can provide you with custom framed artwork. What better way to preserve your favorite piece of art? Contact us today and let us help you!