staircase collage

Last Sunday I was feeling rather ambitious, so I decided it would be a good day to attempt a wall collage. I have been collecting thrifty art for some time, and I thought that it might be a good idea to finally see what I could do with it. Numbers 1,4, and 5 came from Goodwill. Numbers 5, and 7 came from the Habit for Humanity Restore. The chairs were acquired about two weeks ago, and they are by Maria Mayr. The bottom piece on the right is a Judy Paul print, which is the only one that I did not acquire while thrifting. I LOVE second-hand art. You wouldn't believe how many good, original pieces of art that get donated on a daily basis! 

To get started, I arranged all of the pieces on the floor in my studio to get an idea of what I wanted the composition to look like. Since they were all relatively different sizes, I decided that the common denominator would be the spacing between them (I went for about 1 1/2"), and the continuous horizontal line running between the top and bottom row. 

When I was happy with my layout, I propped the top row of art up in our stairwell where I wanted to hang them. I did my best to get the spacing correct on the ends. I tried not to obsess to much over it though. Like I said earlier, that Sunday I was feeling quite ambitious and figured, "If I make a few extra holes in the wall, it won't be the end of the world". Turns out a did make a few more nail holes than I originally intended. Three to be exact! Of course they are being covered, so it all worked out fine, and more importantly, and no one died! Which is a big step for me! I would've hated for Brandon to have arrange my early funeral on account of a collage wall gone wrong. Below is the first row all hung up! It took me about 15 minutes. 

And here's the whole thing up! 

And if you have an eagle eye, you'll notice that I also added a little baby piece of art on the far left in the top row. It's a 'nanner'! This teeny-tiny piece worked out the spacing issue that I ran into when I hung the first row and realized that there were about two inches left over than what I originally intended. I just embraced it, and worked it out. Besides, who doesn't love 'nanners'? It was painted by Mr. Lovenstein himself!  

Also, this provocative pose is one of the most amazing pieces that I own. That girl is working it! 

Here's the view that greets you from the bottom of the staircase. 

Here's the one from top. 

And the hallway above has this view to offer. I love it. :)

I feel so accomplished, and it adds so much to a home that has so many blank walls. At first I was discouraged by the fact that it had taken me so long to hang art, but now I'm glad that I waited for the right pieces and found a the perfect spot to showcase them together. My friend once told me that owning a home is a marathon, not a sprint, and I try remind myself of this weekly so that I can stay motivated. Just find one piece at a time. Don't rush it. Everything will eventually come together. Anyhoo, not too bad for a lazy Sunday afternoon, huh?