How to Present Small Artwork on a Large Wall

Grouping smaller items together into a cohesive arrangement will give them greater visual impact. When you look at the arrangement what you will see is the group effect instead of the individual pieces. This works very well if you use artworks that are related in design or if each piece is part of a collection. Even when artworks are not part of a specific collection, grouping them can still be effective if they are related by theme and subject: For instance, a collection of rural landscape paintings or antique prints can create an effective grouping even if they are not all by the same artist; they may be related by color, time period, medium or style.

You can also related unrelated pieces by framing and matting them identically or similarly; the outline of the framed pieces in relation to each other creates cohesiveness. However, while this technique is well suited to contemporary or formal decors, it's not necessary to always frame and mat artwork in a grouping in the same way. You can mix and match framing and add other elements to the mix - such as accenting framed art with sunburst wall art or wrought iron art. This creates a casual eclectic look that's pulled together by colors, textures, or stylistic similarities as well as juxtapositions in the grouping.

Another size enhancing technique for small art is to reframe it so that it looks larger and more in scale with the wall space; this approach works well with prints and paintings. As a bonus, reframing an artwork in a new way freshens its overall impact and can make it more harmonious with your current decor. Very often, framing an artwork in a new way completely changes the appearance of an artwork that may have become dated from lack of attention. A collage frame is another way that smaller prints or photographs can be presented with greater impact.

When choosing frames, mats and glass be sure to check that they will adequately protect your art. Valuable paintings and prints should always be protected with archive quality matting; acids that occur naturally in non-archive quality matting may negatively impact the artwork as time goes by. UV protected glass will help prevent fading in the artwork; but remember that you should never hang artwork in direct sunlight.

Smaller pieces of artwork that cannot be framed, such as pottery, ceramics and statuary, can be displayed on a large wall shelf or a series of shelves. Keep the shelving in proportion to the larger wall and your art pieces will be given special prominence. Overhead directional pin lights will give them not only added illumination, but greater depth and dimension.