Erieversible

A relaxed Saturday, with only a minimal attempt to continue the transformation from house to home.  All we did today was add a few houseplants and start putting up the pictures we shipped from the Isle of Man.  But what a difference!

It is amazing how different a room becomes with plants and pictures.  We had plants and pictures in our Douglas home, and brought those pictures with us.  The plants are new, as US Customs don’t take kindly to flora entering the country.  We knew it would help the rooms take shape, but had totally underestimated just how much it would help.

More rooms are due to get the same treatment, but we need to get the furniture in those rooms sorted first before the ‘plants and pictures’ touch is added.  Slowly, but quickly, this is becoming home.

The two paintings we bought recently are multi-panel items.  This evening I hung the first of them, which had 4 panels.

Never again.

The theory is sound, and the end result looks good.  However, the other painting has 12 panels and I am not going through the rigmarole I went through this evening, for 4 panels, with 12 panels.  Life has more meaning than that.  So, I’m looking for a more ‘professional’ hanging method.

I’m looking at gallery type equipment, with wires (or clear plastic lines) hanging down from the ceiling with the panels being attached to movable hooks on the lines.  In theory that sort of kit should allow for infinite tweaks and adjustments to get everything aligned, then an ability to lock things down.  To do that with wall fixings would result in so many holes in the wall it would look like a honeycomb and probably collapse due to there being no wall left, just holes.

Any advice?  Have you hung a 12 panel painting?  All suggestions are welcome!

Yes, artwork isn’t the obvious item that springs to mind when you think of ebay, but we were… desperate.  We have some very big walls to find paintings (or similar artwork) for and the quantity of potential items locally isn’t large.  If anyone knows of any places around the Buffalo area that have some good, large artwork, please let us know.

Anyway, the one thing ebay has is quantity, so I went looking.  It took some time to find something that looked good.  It took longer to find something that looked good from a seller who looked ‘right’.  It is amazing how many artists there are in China…

I’ve bought two pieces, and the first of those arrived today.  I have to say that far from being disappointed I am astonished how terrific the painting is.  Even that great doubter in our household (my wife!) is amazed at what we’ve got hold of at the price.  It is a marvellous piece of work and will go very well in the family room.

If the second piece is half as good I may have to repeat the exercise.  It takes time and patience to winkle out the self-representing artist who really has talent, but it is well worth it.  For the same price that you would pay for a large print from the likes of Sears or Target you can get an original painting of real quality.