The Palette

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Inside the Studio: The Work of Marjan Mousavi

Inside the Studio: The Work of Marjan Mousavi

Some paintings hold still. Marjan Mousavi's do the opposite. Her canvases catch the exact moment a bird leaves the branch, when something heavy turns light and lifts, and that single...

Inside the Studio: The Work of Marjan Mousavi

Some paintings hold still. Marjan Mousavi's do the opposite. Her canvases catch the exact moment a bird leaves the branch, when something heavy turns light and lifts, and that single...

Abstract or Figurative for Your First Original

Abstract or Figurative for Your First Original

You are ready to buy your first original painting, and you keep getting stuck on the same fork: abstract or figurative? It feels like you are supposed to already know...

Abstract or Figurative for Your First Original

You are ready to buy your first original painting, and you keep getting stuck on the same fork: abstract or figurative? It feels like you are supposed to already know...

Inside the Studio: The Work of Amir Fazelian

Inside the Studio: The Work of Amir Fazelian

Stand in front of a painting of a crowned monster playing chess, and you have to ask what it is thinking. That is the whole point. Amir Fazelian paints creatures...

Inside the Studio: The Work of Amir Fazelian

Stand in front of a painting of a crowned monster playing chess, and you have to ask what it is thinking. That is the whole point. Amir Fazelian paints creatures...

When a Canvas Needs Restretching, and What to Know

When a Canvas Needs Restretching, and What to Know

You look at a painting you have owned for a while and something is off. The surface is not flat the way it used to be. There is a soft...

When a Canvas Needs Restretching, and What to Know

You look at a painting you have owned for a while and something is off. The surface is not flat the way it used to be. There is a soft...

Inside the Studio: The Work of Nahira

Inside the Studio: The Work of Nahira

Look at any painting by Nahira and you meet a figure and a whale in the same frame, calm and strange at once. A woman sits in a red cloak...

Inside the Studio: The Work of Nahira

Look at any painting by Nahira and you meet a figure and a whale in the same frame, calm and strange at once. A woman sits in a red cloak...

Choosing Original Art for a Child's Room That Grows With Them

Choosing Original Art for a Child's Room That Grows With Them

You want something on the wall of your child's room that is better than a mass-made poster, but you do not want to spend on a piece your kid begs...

Choosing Original Art for a Child's Room That Grows With Them

You want something on the wall of your child's room that is better than a mass-made poster, but you do not want to spend on a piece your kid begs...

Inside the Studio: The Work of Phaedra

Inside the Studio: The Work of Phaedra

Some paintings ask to be admired. Phaedra's ask you to sit with something you would rather look away from. Her work lives on the line between a portrait and a...

Inside the Studio: The Work of Phaedra

Some paintings ask to be admired. Phaedra's ask you to sit with something you would rather look away from. Her work lives on the line between a portrait and a...

A small framed picture on the wall of a calm modern bathroom with stone tile

Can You Hang Art in a Kitchen or Bathroom?

Yes, with the right framing. The enemy is not steam, it is the swing between wet and dry, and a few things should not go in either room at all.

Can You Hang Art in a Kitchen or Bathroom?

Yes, with the right framing. The enemy is not steam, it is the swing between wet and dry, and a few things should not go in either room at all.

A framed painting hanging above a low walnut console in a calm room

How High Should You Hang a Framed Painting?

There is a right answer, it is a number, and almost everybody hangs too high. Plus what changes over a sofa, in a stairwell, and with tall ceilings.

How High Should You Hang a Framed Painting?

There is a right answer, it is a number, and almost everybody hangs too high. Plus what changes over a sofa, in a stairwell, and with tall ceilings.

A sheet of heavy watercolour paper on a bench beside a bone folder and hinging tissue

Framing a Watercolour vs Framing an Oil

Two paintings, two completely different jobs. Almost nothing carries over from one to the other, and the reason is what they are painted on.

Framing a Watercolour vs Framing an Oil

Two paintings, two completely different jobs. Almost nothing carries over from one to the other, and the reason is what they are painted on.

A stack of cream conservation mat board beside a sheet of yellowed old backing card

Acid-Free, Archival, Conservation: What These Words Actually Mean

Three words used almost interchangeably in framing, only one of which is a real standard. What to ask for, and the question that catches a weak claim.

Acid-Free, Archival, Conservation: What These Words Actually Mean

Three words used almost interchangeably in framing, only one of which is a real standard. What to ask for, and the question that catches a weak claim.

A gallery wall of mixed framed works on a dark wall

Gallery Wall: Same Frames or Mixed?

Both work. There is only one approach that reliably fails, and it is the one most people arrive at by accident.

Gallery Wall: Same Frames or Mixed?

Both work. There is only one approach that reliably fails, and it is the one most people arrive at by accident.

An old gilded frame face down on a bench beside a screwdriver and rusted nails

Reframing an Inherited Painting: What to Keep, What to Replace

An old frame is usually worth keeping. What is inside it usually is not. How to tell which, and the one kind of damage that is already permanent.

Reframing an Inherited Painting: What to Keep, What to Replace

An old frame is usually worth keeping. What is inside it usually is not. How to tell which, and the one kind of damage that is already permanent.

A very large empty frame leaning against a tall studio wall

How We Frame a Large Canvas So It Hangs Safely

Past a certain size, framing stops being a matter of taste and becomes structural. What changes, and what holds a heavy piece on a wall.

How We Frame a Large Canvas So It Hangs Safely

Past a certain size, framing stops being a matter of taste and becomes structural. What changes, and what holds a heavy piece on a wall.

A black frame and a white frame leaning against a grey wall

Black Frame or White Frame? How to Actually Decide

People spend longer on this than any other framing decision. It can usually be settled in a minute, because it depends on three things you can just look at.

Black Frame or White Frame? How to Actually Decide

People spend longer on this than any other framing decision. It can usually be settled in a minute, because it depends on three things you can just look at.

An old frame opened on a bench showing yellowed backing board and tape

Five Framing Mistakes That Quietly Damage a Painting

None of these announce themselves. Each one is doing damage right now in somebody's living room, and four of the five are cheap to prevent.

Five Framing Mistakes That Quietly Damage a Painting

None of these announce themselves. Each one is doing damage right now in somebody's living room, and four of the five are cheap to prevent.

Close detail of a canvas in a black floater frame showing the shadow gap

Floater Frames, Explained

The frame that holds a canvas without touching the front of it, why the gap is the entire point, and the measurement most people forget to take.

Floater Frames, Explained

The frame that holds a canvas without touching the front of it, why the gap is the entire point, and the measurement most people forget to take.

A small work on paper in a wide cream mat, on a dark wall

The Mat Width Rule That Makes a Small Painting Look Expensive

Two identical drawings in identical frames can look completely different. Almost always the difference is how much empty space is around them.

The Mat Width Rule That Makes a Small Painting Look Expensive

Two identical drawings in identical frames can look completely different. Almost always the difference is how much empty space is around them.

A thickly painted oil on canvas on a dark wall, lit from the side so the paint texture is visible

Why Most Oil Paintings Should Not Go Behind Glass

Glass feels protective. On an oil painting it is usually the wrong tool, and sealing one tight against glazing can do real harm.

Why Most Oil Paintings Should Not Go Behind Glass

Glass feels protective. On an oil painting it is usually the wrong tool, and sealing one tight against glazing can do real harm.

Two framed pictures side by side on a dark wall, one reflecting a window and one clear

Museum Glass, Conservation Glass, and What We Actually Use

Both block about 99% of UV. Only one removes the reflection. Here is what separates them, and when the upgrade is genuinely worth paying for.

Museum Glass, Conservation Glass, and What We Actually Use

Both block about 99% of UV. Only one removes the reflection. Here is what separates them, and when the upgrade is genuinely worth paying for.

A framed original painting on a dark gallery wall, lit from one side

What a Frame Actually Does for a Painting

A frame is not decoration around a painting. It is the only thing standing between the work and the room, and most of what it does is invisible.

What a Frame Actually Does for a Painting

A frame is not decoration around a painting. It is the only thing standing between the work and the room, and most of what it does is invisible.

How Artists Actually Price a Painting

How Artists Actually Price a Painting

Someone looks at the price of an original painting and says, "It is just paint and canvas, why does it cost that much?" It is a fair thing to wonder,...

How Artists Actually Price a Painting

Someone looks at the price of an original painting and says, "It is just paint and canvas, why does it cost that much?" It is a fair thing to wonder,...

Why We Offer a 14-Day Trial, and What People Do With It

Why We Offer a 14-Day Trial, and What People Do With It

A painting on a screen and the same painting on your wall are two different experiences. The screen flattens the texture, shifts the color under whatever light your phone is...

Why We Offer a 14-Day Trial, and What People Do With It

A painting on a screen and the same painting on your wall are two different experiences. The screen flattens the texture, shifts the color under whatever light your phone is...

Matte vs Gloss Varnish: What It Does to Colour

Matte vs Gloss Varnish: What It Does to Colour

You have found two paintings you like online. The colours look rich and deep in the photo. The piece arrives, you hang it, and in the afternoon light half of...

Matte vs Gloss Varnish: What It Does to Colour

You have found two paintings you like online. The colours look rich and deep in the photo. The piece arrives, you hang it, and in the afternoon light half of...

What Happens When Your Painting Arrives: Unboxing to Hanging

What Happens When Your Painting Arrives: Unboxing to Hanging

You have picked the painting, paid, and now the waiting begins. For a lot of first-time buyers this is the nervous part: an original is on a truck somewhere, and...

What Happens When Your Painting Arrives: Unboxing to Hanging

You have picked the painting, paid, and now the waiting begins. For a lot of first-time buyers this is the nervous part: an original is on a truck somewhere, and...

Buying Original Art for a Canadian Home Office

Buying Original Art for a Canadian Home Office

You spend hours a day in your home office, and half of that time other people are looking at the wall behind you on a video call. That wall is...

Buying Original Art for a Canadian Home Office

You spend hours a day in your home office, and half of that time other people are looking at the wall behind you on a video call. That wall is...

Is Art a Good Gift? A Short, Honest Answer

Is Art a Good Gift? A Short, Honest Answer

Yes, art is a good gift. But not always, and not for everyone. A painting can be the most personal thing you ever hand someone, or it can sit in...

Is Art a Good Gift? A Short, Honest Answer

Yes, art is a good gift. But not always, and not for everyone. A painting can be the most personal thing you ever hand someone, or it can sit in...

Why Your Light Bulb Colour Changes a Painting

Why Your Light Bulb Colour Changes a Painting

You hang a painting, step back, and the colours look off. Not wrong, just not what you saw when you fell for it. Before you blame the painting or your...

Why Your Light Bulb Colour Changes a Painting

You hang a painting, step back, and the colours look off. Not wrong, just not what you saw when you fell for it. Before you blame the painting or your...

Original vs Print, Told Through One Painting

Original vs Print, Told Through One Painting

Picture one painting. A small oil on canvas, maybe 40 by 50 cm, of a harbour at dusk, with the water worked up in thick ridges of blue and grey....

Original vs Print, Told Through One Painting

Picture one painting. A small oil on canvas, maybe 40 by 50 cm, of a harbour at dusk, with the water worked up in thick ridges of blue and grey....

Commissioning a Diptych or Triptych for a Wide Wall

Commissioning a Diptych or Triptych for a Wide Wall

You have a wide wall, and everything you hang on it looks small. One painting floats in the middle like it wandered in by accident. You could go bigger, but...

Commissioning a Diptych or Triptych for a Wide Wall

You have a wide wall, and everything you hang on it looks small. One painting floats in the middle like it wandered in by accident. You could go bigger, but...