Art Lovers: Do an Art Inventory in Your Home… Love it? Leave It?

Look at what’s in your home, it may be time to make some changes. The human brain is wired for novelty. Studies show more brain activity when exposed to new visual stimulus. What this means is that after after years and years of seeing the same art in the same place in your home or office, the art on your walls kind of disappears. Your brain no longer responds to it. In some ways, you no longer see it.

Professor Semir Zeki, a neurobiologist with the University of London, who has spent decades studying the brain and how it responds to visual images, scanned the brains of volunteers while they viewed art. Zeki discovered that when people view art they find beautiful, they experience an immediate triggering of dopamine into the brain–a strong chemical related to feelings of love, pleasure, and desire. When you see art that you like, the reward and pleasure centers of the emotional brain light up. Click Here to see the full article by Margaret Emory

Take a minute and think about your home or office. How old is the art on your walls? Do you still have art from your first apartment? Is the subject matter dated? Does the art reflect who you are today, your likes, your point of view?

Some of you may have empty walls…and walk past them without thinking.  Your one time idea of finding just the right thing for that wall is an old memory from an incomplete to do list. What to do? Here are some ideas for refreshing your environment to provide you and those you live with more stimulating surroundings.

Do an Art Inventory

Take a critical look at your home or office. For each room, write down a brief description of the piece, such as “Painting of a Sunset”. What condition is the art in? Is it faded, torn, wrinkled, or yellowed? Is the frame, mat, and glass in good condition? Do you love the art? Does it bring you joy? Does it fit the space? Grade each piece. Love it, it’s in good condition, give it an “A”. Grade your art based on these criteria. Give B’s to work that is ok but not great, give C’s to work that leaves you flat. Some people like to use post it notes and actually put their grade on the wall near the art.

When you are done, look at the A’s. Keep them…consider moving them…more on that in a second. The B’s should go to non-important locations, be reframed, or retired. The C’s, well they should be given away like old Bermuda shorts whose time has passed. So what now? Read on.

Move It Around

Circulate your “A” art. Move a great piece of art from the hall to the bedroom. Put a piece from the study in a bathroom (great place to put nice art). This option only takes a few minutes and requires a hammer and hanging hooks.

Empty Walls? Art you don’t see anymore?

Empty walls are just waiting for art. Single large pieces make a great statement, or consider a grouping of same size pieces by the same artist hung vertically or horizontally. Pieces look great in three’s. Art you gave “B” and “C grades or art you don’t see anymore? This is a great time to put this art on vacation and find a new piece of art that you love.

Next steps to Refresh Your Home or Office: