Alternatives to Track lighting?
We have quite a large art collection and are trying to figure out the best way to light everything. Is there any other option aside from track lighting that makes sense?
We have quite a large art collection and are trying to figure out the best way to light everything. Is there any other option aside from track lighting that makes sense?
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Will do on the email. Do you have a good framer already lined up?
Just a thought though: Kitchen air (cooking with oil floating in tiny droplets on the air, then dust gathering on surfaces) can really make plexi look crudy fast. Find out the best way to clean it without scratching it.
Also, will the work get to be high up on a wall or be possibly low enough to get damaged? Kitchens, agreed, are very, very busy places. That’s how we’ve lost some of the transferware plates. One from the 1830’s came down on a handle-less cup and saucer from the 1840’s (Hhhh…maddening!) because I think I gesticulated and another time something heavy that fell on the floor jarred the room and brought down a couple of handpainted plates adjacent to the accident. The plate hangers must have slipped off their nails. Also some pretty nice old tiles that were not mounted but resting, yes just resting, on the top of the door casing (dumb to begin with!) plopped down, hit the floor and shattered…lovely. It’s fun when hundreds of dollars of anything shatters into pieces. It was a kind of “I told you so” moment (the very heavy object that fell was set down on a radiator where it was not stable and where it should not have been)…life.
Hi FGG,
Just so you know: this is a very valuable piece of work, by an outsider artist, who gifted me with it over 10 years ago. All this time, I’ve had it in storage, just waiting for the right circumstances to properly display it. That time is now as it’s going to be a focal point of my newly-renovated kitchen! Proper framing and display of this work is important to me, not only because it demands such, but also, because I understand it will only increase in value — most especially if I take good care of it. It is a very large piece– 48″ x 60″, so it’s going to cost a pretty penny to mount it and plexi it. But it’s worth it. I’d be happy to upload it to Brownstoner when done (probably not until early fall). In the meantime, I’d love to continue this discussion as I have many more questions to ask, but I also don’t want to continue to hijack the OP’s thread. 🙂 Would you mind giving me a holler at marthavila2 at yahoo dot com?
Thanks!
PS
I was speaking with the husband unit last night about this. He’s an artist (gallery in Chelsea), full-time academia and curates museum exhibitions.
He concurred that there are tons of lighting options now for artwork and that with textiles the two concerns are generally the effect of light AND the weight of the piece if it is mounted vertically.
Textiles are generally stored horizontally, sometimes rolled (fabric bolts) or laid flat in huge drawers (garments). If you have a complicated mixed media piece, say a textile with various fibre and non-fibre worked in, the piece may very much require a support material stitched to the back by a professional if plan on hanging it.
Once it’s done, would love if you could post a photo to Brownstoner somehow. People do it when they’re selling doors and marble mantles.
He also mentioned that lots of the middle market art purchasers (for example, a 30-something lawyer from an upper middle class family buys a $2-4K print for her husband for his birthday) want to display what they’ve bought but do not go all the way (top framing can run $1K depending). The work may get light struck (exposed paper may become noticeably darkened). If they want to donate the artwork some day to a museum collection, it may very well not be accepted because of the condition. A lot of work that people want to donate to museums is rejected.
We have to realize that ideally, we are nothing but custodians of artwork. And…pieces we possess (for the duration) may eventually be more valuable, that we or the people who may hold these works of art in the future will want to donate the work to institutions both to maintain/protect the work and/or for tax/estate planning.
With this in mind, artwork should be handled with great care and consideration.
We, personally, keep the bulk of our prints and drawings in solander boxes. We do have a lot of work up on the walls (no textiles, just paintings, prints and drawings) and I can’t say they are the least “valuable” but we make sure everything is protected from light as much as possible. We have a couple of things that are stunning prints but may not be in prime condition. So we feel better about displaying them. And very rare print (basically ephemera by what we would call today an “outsider artist” from the 1840’s) was unfortunately “glued down” (mounted–not considered too good for the paper) probably because someone decided the paper was fragile in the 1960’s. It is hand-coloured and the paper conservator said it is not advisable to fuss with it. It may be dry-mounted with a heat-triggered adhesive too, ugh…It has a number of other condition issues so it stays as is and we just enjoy it on the wall.
Most of the older prints like the one above reside in dim rooms and hallways. For all the fuss about UV blocking glass, we have not replaced glass in many fra,es because some work has come framed with old glass from the 1800’s and is part of the whole object. As I said, most of the artwork we have resides out of light and view for the sake of preservation.
And what also does not degrade much (unless you knock one and break it) and is relatively cheap: transferware. We have a ton of transferware on the walls in the kitchen/dining area. Kind of traditional but we went over the top so it’s actually might be called “eccentric”.
Best of luck with the plexi box and lighting it. If you can get glare-free plexi, the result can be breathtaking. The Cloisters’ most famous painting (a triptych) is in a glare-free plexi box and it almost looks, when you’re standing right up close examining its fine details, like it is sitting out in the open air. Quite spectacular.
Cheers,
FGG
Thanks again, FGG! (9:29 on 6/16 here) This is clear, intelligent, really helpful advice, all freely given without attitude. IMHO your responses represent the best of what the Brownstoner Forum has to offer and I will definitely put this information you have shared to good use!
clamp on fixtures?
FGG here,
Okay, for textiles/mixed media, be extremely vigilant in how the work is mounted and what the protecting material is. Dyes used in fiber art can be extremely fugitive.
If you use a plexi box, if the work warrants it (i.e. is valuable–or might be one day–emotionally or monetarialy), please, please, please, go with the best framer possible and make sure UV-blocking plexi is used. Most plastics block UV to some extent so the blocking factor may be high enough in regular plexi for a dim location. If you can afford it, go with glare-free plexi. You will be very happy with the results if they are good.
Note that cleaning and maintaining plexi has its issues but with any luck it won’t need constant cleaning.
Okay, regarding wall washers: There are all sorts. Many simply fit into a recessed circle like a high hat.
http://www.lightinguniverse.com/products/default.aspx?tid=330&mfr=126
Then you have the long fixtures that might be hard to install in a traditional brownstone/rowhouse because of joist issues. Have a look at:
http://www.linearltg.com/WW6.html
Do a google search “lighting wall washer” and you can have a field day.
Remember, again, fibre pieces, textiles, and company can be extremely fragile. If they are mounted on a substrate properly, you might be okay, if not, speak with a textile conservator on mounting for vertical display.
Enjoy!
FGG
Thank you, FGG. That was some great advice. So here’s my question: I’m planning on displaying a work of mixed media, primarily textiles, in a plexicube. It will be hung on a wall that allows for plenty of light, but no direct sun. Up until now, I had been planning on using those recessed, swiveling spots you think are so ugly. Can you tell me more about these wall washers you have mentioned? Any other thoughts?
There are wall washers that are set into the ceiling –very different from high-hats (and the ugly insets with the swiveling spot). Their installation entails a lot of work.
There is incredible stuff available out there. Talk with a good lighting consultant who works with residential art displays.
Barring spending $1000 to shake hands with a consultant, why not try the lights that attach to taut wires. It can be less of a commitment than track lighting. You’ll have fewer holes to fill if you don’t like the installation and go with track lighting …just make sure you’ve high ceilings or every time you put on a pullover you’ll knock into them…or at least the tall people in the house.
Now, a word about displaying works of art:
be careful what you display because much of the typical lighting out there (not to mention daylight) can damage pigments and works on paper. (Frankly, works on paper the state of which you care about, you might want to store in a flat filing system or solander boxes.).
If you are displaying paintings on canvas, you’ll want lighting that will be as glare-free as possible. If you have multimedia paintings, think about the materials used and how they will age exposed to light and air (this goes for oil paintings as well). Acrylic paintings tend to manage better exposed to light and air. They will change as well but more slowly. Paintings done with encaustic can be damaged very easily through handling (even brushing the surface)and warm light, ambient temperatures fluctuating, etc.
Most works on paper ([prints, watercolors, collage, drawings) should always be behind glass. Go the extra mile and get UV blocking, glare-free glass which can be pretty pricy. You can even use the Plexiglas (which may be more expensive) if weight is an issue.
If you do not display the artwork properly, and if it is valuable/an investment, you will probably be sorry in the end. Most pigments are not light fast. If they are or you’re displaying, say, an engraving printed with black ink, the paper can get light struck where by the paper not covered by the matting and framing darkens.
DO NOT have works on paper framed by your local Joe Shmoe framer if you’re not sure you’ll get UV blocking glass…and DO NOT use a frame from some art supplier shop or IKEA.
Over time, works of art, like everything, will probably alter. Lead white oil paint may start to become translucent. Red pigments will fade and thalos will hang on so that printed multi-color images and watercolors will take on a blue cast…
If you’re displaying a chromed steel sculpture, the work will change slowly but is still susceptible to scratches.
Many works or art are VERY hard to maintain.
Write with more detail on what you want to display, be it wall art, freestanding, etc., the materials they’re made in. I’ll give whatever free advice if I know some more details.
And…it won’t be advice such as insisting that the space or the type of work impacts your lighting decisions…someone was being a bit silly in a comment above.
Heck, you can display a Renaissance polychromed wood sculpture lit in the most modern of settings…and picture lights can sometimes be appropriate for modern work…esp. since the little, frumpy picture lights of our Grandmother’s decor are the tip of the iceberg of what is available now. There are very mod picture lights out there.
FGG