LIGHTING YOUR FINE ART

 

Now that you've chosen your artwork, you need to correctly light it for the best impact. Since acrylic face-mounted prints have a certain luminescent and iridescent quality to them, proper lighting will give them an almost 3D and backlit look. If you've ever been to one of those famous galleries in Las Vegas, you will have seen that look. When your print is properly lit, it will showcase the details and colors of the scene.

 

What to Avoid 

Just as important as it is to properly light your print, be sure to avoid direct sunlight as it will prematurely fade and damage your art. Also midday light does not do justice to the image viewing. 

Best Type of Lighting 

Historically LED bulbs have been pretty bad a tree producing a full spectrum of light. Just says fluorescent lights are very limited and their color spectrum and leave a green glow, LEDs were limited as well. More recently technology has improved greatly and very high quality light can be produced by LEDs. There are several additional advantages. LEDs do not give off the heat that a halogen light does, and it does not produce the UV light that is so destructive 2 photographic prints. Is very important that you select a high-quality light. 

Color temperature 

The color temperature of the lights that you use is very important in making your prints look their best. In-home lightning temperature is measured in Kelvin and ranges from about 1800 (candle light) to about 6,500 (bright daylight). Incandescent light bulbs are 2700 K and have a reddish glow. On the flip side anyting over 4000 or 4500k will make your pictures look dull and slightly bluish. I prefer between 3000 and 3500 k for the best color balance. 

Color Rendering Index and R9

In addition to color temperature c r i is a very important factor. This represents the quality of the spectrum, or color accuracy, of light. This is where the advances in LED technology have really improved. Although anything above 85 c r i is considered good, you should consider 90 or higher, and aim for 94 and higher if possible. 

R9 is the index for red light. Even though LEDs have improved quite a bit, many on the market struggle with accurate red light spectrum. The R9 number represents the quality of red light. Several high-end light companies will share the R9 number. You should aim for 85 and higher. 

Dimmer

Be sure to get dimmable bulbs and have a dinner set the lighting on your art to the perfect level compared the rest of the room lighting so your heart stands out.

 Lights Companies 

There are several lighting companies they specialize in artwork lighting. Solux, SORAA, Lutron, and Waveform Lighting are a few of the most notable. 

 

Guide to Mounting and Light Placement

The typical standard is to place your print so the center is 60”” to 66” from the floor. Depending on the artwork and the room, this can be adjusted, but this is best for most situations and for best viewing.

As a general rule, the light fixtures lighting your artwork should be at a 30 degree beam angle. As an example, if you have 9ft ceilings and the center of your artwork is 63” from the floor, your lighting should be placed 26in from the wall.