October 2008 Newsletter
ArtfulHome.com: Trade Secrets

Lighting Your Artwork

Are you looking for fresh ideas for living with art or creative design solutions for your home? Each month at "Trade Secrets," we select one of your questions and reach out to design professionals for the answers. This month, we look at ways to light artwork.

Question: I have a painting and a sculpture that could both benefit from a little light. What are the best ways to showcase two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art with light?

Answer: I find that people tend to over light sculpture and other types of three dimensional art. If they are evenly illuminated, the pieces tend to visually flatten out. It is better to come in with accent light from one strong direction (or two opposite directions if the piece is seen from more than one side). For example in the gallery of this home in California, parts of this Deborah Butterfield horse are deliberately left in shadow to enhance the dimensionality of the piece. The paintings by David Maxim are lit with recessed lights set at an acute angle to create deep shadowing.