How To Light A Wall Sculpture

Place the artwork on a wall that isn t exposed to sunlight.

How to light a wall sculpture.

The options for lighting a piece of art depend on how the piece is framed. Sculptures should be well lit by diffused light sources which can include daylight from windows. You have several options for lighting art and pictures on the wall. We recommend about a 30 60º tilt and the lights should be mounted to the ceiling or a hanging track about 2 3 feet from the artwork although that will depend on the size and intensity of the bulb the halo the outer edge of the circular ovular shape that the light creates on the wall should be a little bit bigger than the artwork.

How do i light art on my walls. When lighting artwork the suggested angle for the light is 30 degrees. A piece of art or wall sculpture that does not have a frame can be illuminated with lighting not attached to the artwork such as a mantel light spotlight track light or recessed light. You can always use a standard picture light which can either be hardwired or plug in.

If you light a piece of art at ten degrees which means you re really close to the wall and pointing almost straight down you re going to end up casting really long shadows below the frame he. When you pick the light to accent your artwork the general rule of thumb is to pick a light that is 3 times as bright or intense as your ambient lighting. Before art is installed walls are lit by hanging evenly spaced fixtures on the track closer to the wall. Add 5 degrees for larger frames and subtract 5 degrees to highlight textures.

These are called wall washers and contain an opening with a 45 degree angle with a reflective metal plate on the longer side to kick the light up the wall and a glass lens that spreads the light horizontally explains sthreshley. If this isn t an option use curtains to protect your artwork from the strong morning and afternoon light. Of course as with other works of art lighting plays a big role in displaying sculptures. Small frames cannot support an attached picture light.

Sunlight can cause colors to dull over time so hang your artwork on an interior wall that doesn t get any sunlight throughout the day. The size of the art work determines the size of the picture light needed. Ambient lighting is the room s general lighting. Too much light will wash out the details while not enough hides them.

However avoid these situations when possible. The route you go depends on the nature of your space as well as the amount of time and money you are willing to spend.