We set up a camera to take one photograph every thirty seconds of our opening reception for Twenty Four Seven. The results were then compressed into the video above.
Between the video, and the artwork online you are just a glass of wine from actually being there!
Do you have a question that you have always wanted to ask a gallery, but felt too intimidated? Well, following the fine lineage of Dear Abby and tracing it all the way to Savage Love, we are now answering those nagging questions. To kick things off we are tackling the age old query of “What is the right height to hang art?” If you have a question of your own, preferably related to art and the gallery world, please drop us a line at blog@hangart.com, or in the comments below.
A willing volunteer for a hanging demonstration, Eddie Rodriguez, "A Glorious Ruin"
Q: What is the proper way to hang art?
A: As our name implies, we know a thing or two about hanging art. Placing that perfect painting on the wall takes a some work, as well as some tips of the trade.
The first thing you should know is that, like most galleries, we hang art at 56″ on center. This is number has been passed down for generations as the optimal average height of the human eye. Now, it’s not set in stone. Sometimes with a lower ceiling, or a larger artwork we tweak it a little. However, 56″ on center serves as a great general rule.
Unfortunately, this does not mean that we can just tack a nail at 56″ from the floor and Bob’s your Uncle. On center means that the center of the painting should be located at 56″ from the floor. Determining how to center the painting at 56″ requires a little math and a touch of planning. To make things easier we have broken the whole process down, step by step, with pictures.
1) First, make sure that you have the appropriate tools. We have our hanging hardware, a hammer, measuring tape, level, a calculator, and a pencil.
A calculator isn't necessary, but it helps.
It's important to have the painting too.
2) Second, measure the height of your painting, and divide it in half to find the center. In our example the painting is 30″ tall. When divided in half, we determine the center is at 15″.
30" tall
3) To get the center height for banging the nail into the wall we need to take into account that the painting is hanging from wire. We do this by measuring the distance from the wire to the top of the painting. Keeping in mind that the wire will be taught when hanging. In our example the wire is 5.75″ from the top.
Make sure that the wire is taught
4) This is where the calculator comes in handy.
Starting from the top we take 56″ and add half the height (15″) to get 71″. Subtract the wire height (5.75) and we end up with 65.25″!
Starting from the top we take 56" and add half the height (15") to get 71". Subtract the wire height (5.75) and we end up with 65.25"
5) After we mark the height we are ready to pull out the hammer and start nailing away. We use picture hooks, especially important in seismically challenged San Francisco. Make sure that the bottom of the hook, where the wire rests, lines up with your mark.
6) Go ahead and slip the painting on to the hook and eyeball it to make sure its level.
Sometimes we have a hard time leveling by eye
7) Finally, get a spirit level out and make sure that the piece is nice and level.
8) Now you all you have to do is sit back and enjoy your artwork.
If this still sounds intimidating, we can recommend a couple of fantastic art handling and installing services that will take all the guesswork out and get your artwork on the wall.
Jose Arenas "Evening Gross Beak (detail)" one of the many pieces availiable at the Visual Aid auction
When HIV/AIDS hit the Bay Area art community Visual Aid was quick to respond by helping, “produce, present and preserve the work of professional, visual artists in need, those whose careers are challenged because of any life-threatening illness.”
Being a benefactor is difficult, which is why Visual Aid calls upon artists, galleries and collectors alike to come together once a year for their amazing auction. This year HANG ART, along with HANG artists Jose Arenas, Katja Leibenath, Hugo Kobayashi, Mark Oberlin, Addie Shevlin, Phillip Hua, Angela Simione, Piero Spadaro and Tim Yankosky have donated work.
The auction takes place on Saturday, November 14th, 4-9pm at 934 Brannan Street in San Francisco. We will be in attendance, looking to get some good deals on art, and helping a worthwhile charity. You can get your own ticket here.
Siddharth Parasnis "California Baja 19"
Several of our artists have strong ties to the Academy of Art University. Quite a few are either Faculty, or Alumni, or in some cases both. That’s why the line-up for Saturday’s Faculty + Alumni Art Auction looks very familiar.
Our feelings wont be hurt if you take a look at the catalog, or even buy a piece, since 50 percent of the proceeds are donated directly to the Student Scholarship Fund.
HANG ART is pleased to present Twenty Four Seven, a group exhibition of new works by HANG ART artists Jeff Dikio, Katja Leibenath, and Catherine Saiki. A reception for the artists will be held on First Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 6pm to 8pm at HANG ART, 567 Sutter Street, San Francisco.
On view November 1 – 15 2009, Twenty Four Seven takes on the varying perspectives of day and night. These artists each share unique outlooks on the every day and evening and the secrets that are unveiled within each hour. Whether it be a delicate painting of a deserted amusement park in the depth of twilight or a quiet and evocatively outlined scene of a of the fog meeting the sea – this grouping of art provides the viewer with an entirely different outlook on the day to day and night to night.
Jeff Dikio, "Fun Land"
Jeff Dikio’s paintings are narrations of life choices with simplicity of form and a distinctive personal painting style. In his figurative works, sparse landscapes rendered in a rich, dark palette focus the attention on the psychological state of his solitary personages. Dikio earned his BFA in painting at UC Santa Cruz and participated in a study abroad program in Prague.
Katja Leibenath, "China Basin #14"
Katja Leibenath began compiling a detailed photographic diary of her surroundings; her paintings are often based on these studies. Leibenath has been painting in San Francisco since 2006. Her work as been showcased at SomArts Gallery, Artist X-Change Gallery, RSSB at UC Berkeley, The Lab, and Liquid Spaces. Leibenath earned a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture from the Peter Behrens’ School Of Architecture in Duesseldorf, Germany.
Catherine Saiki, Pacifica III
Catherine Saiki’s abstract paintings are inspired by the industrial city — from the steel detritus left in the wake of urban development to the rusty patina of an ever-changing landscape. Saiki documents and reassembles these found moments through the textures and colors of her paintings. She received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005 and her BA from Scripps College in 1995. Saiki currently lives and works in Oakland, California.
HANG ART is located at 567 Sutter Street, between Mason and Powell Streets. Gallery hours are Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. For further information or high resolution images, please call 415 434 4264.
Apparently we missed Mayor Newsom, but when we stopped by the Art in Storefronts opening on Friday, October 23rd the party was still going strong.
HANG ART artist Phillip Hua
HANG ART artist Phillip Hua was one of a handful of artists selected to transform a vacant storefront into a work of art.
His piece, titled Consider It, will evolve over the course of time to increase environmental awareness. The near vacant space features a clock, set to the eleventh hour, accomponied by a chair with the words “Stand-Up” stenciled on it.
Considerate - Consider It
The top of the storefront had the phrase, “The Time is Now,” serving as a friendly little reminder that a little action goes a long way.
You can check out the installation yourself at 984 Market Street in San Francisco, right next to The Warfield Theater. Just be sure to hurry, after all, “the time is now.”
Continuing with San Francisco’s month of Open Studios we dropped in on Ed Calhoun and his wife Linda in their Dogpatch studio.
Although, studio might not be the right word, the space seemed more like a laboratory of ideas. Traditional paintings lined the walls, but the space was punctuated with assemblages and experiments.
Those of you familiar with Ed and Linda’s work know that they have created a color based cypher of the alphabet. Walking through the space, we were wanting to decode everything, including the M&M’s and Tootsie Pops they had out as refreshments. Turns out that they weren’t intended as works of art, the Cheeto’s however were.
We had a great time and look forward to see what they cook up next. Check out more pictures below…
The Bold Italic is a brand new website that focuses on the cultural pulse of San Francisco. The website features a series of Backstories, written by Bold Locals, that give you the inside scoop on everything from doughnuts to pick-up lines.
HANG ART Director, DJ Harmon was recently interviewed by Bold Local Nicole Grant in a Backstory titled Getting Hung At Hang. The story is a brief look into the steps we take when we look for new artists.
On a side note, we think the photo of DJ in the article is not representative of her personality.
As a part of ArtSpan’s Fall Open Studios HANG ART artist Piero Spadaro opened the door to his Marina studio. We took the time to stop by, soak in the sun, and chat about his work.
Part of the fun of Open Studios is poking around an artist studio and getting a sneak peak into their materials and process. Piero’s shimmering canvases apparently require a certain amount of chance, and in turn, chaos.
The results he had on display evoke nature on both a macro and micro level. Also on the walls, Piero had a new body of work that more resembled landscapes.
We had a great time and are looking forward to checking out more studios and artwork this weekend.
