Why I Love Working in an Arty Town

I really love my job, and I think the best part of it is getting to meet so many incredible locals, whether they've been here all their lives or just moved into town. (We seem to be getting a lot of people moving down here from Chicago lately.)

And now that we've set up our separate brand as professional picture hangers near Asheville, we also get to "meet" a lot of wonderful art collections.

Last week we worked with a delightful couple who had a large collection including some great pieces from local painters, like this one of guinea hens by the artist known as Cornbread.

On the right is another piece made by an autistic child at a special-needs school. He says it's his experience of the sky at night. It's really bold in person!

The couple was downsizing to a smaller space, which is why they called us in to hang their collection. (It can feel overwhelming to place and hang a lot of pictures when you're just moving in!)

This colorful still life is by a Puerto Rican artist and definitely brings a tropical vibe. It's the first thing you see when you walk into the home, and it really sets the tone.

One of the challenges of relocating a collection is finding a home for the larger pieces. The couple was actually planning to sell this large Masai textile, even though they loved it, because they couldn't find a wall for it.

Fortunately our in-house Asheville art consultant (my wife Faith, who is a trained artist) spotted the perfect place for this piece. Look how well it coordinates with the chair! And the little red bits were really set off by the red pillow on the bed.

We also mounted a Kingfisher sculpture for them, with a little help from their kitty.

I think he approved.

This is just a small sample of their collection. I really enjoy seeing how other people choose and live with art.

This pair of pieces was particularly nice. The one on the right is a set of etchings of the ancient cave paintings at Lascaux. We found the perfect spot for it on this wall in their dining room. I like how they chose to mount it on transparent glass, so the wall color shows through.

Hanging big pictures like this can be trickier than it sounds, especially if they're mounted using D-rings as this one was. Fortunately we have a system for putting each picture hanger at just the right height.

And after we hung 93 pieces, the house suddenly feels like a home!

If you'd like some help hanging your favorite artwork, take a look at our new sister brand, Asheville Art Installers:

We offer a white-glove installation service to ensure that each piece is safely and beautifully mounted... so you can relax and let us do the work.

Check It Out!