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 Over the last ten years, I’ve lived in ten different places. It’s a lot of moving around, if you ask me. Each space that I’ve lived in where I’ve taken the time to put artwork on the walls has felt like home. Even when I was just starting out in college, sharing a small apartment with 5 other girls, I made it a point to hang artwork on the walls.

I believe I have a few pictures from that time, I’ll have to do some digging and share with you later, but our apartment was the coolest, quirkiest apartment in our building. At least that’s how I felt.

Majoring in painting and drawing helped getting real art on my walls very early on. The biggest hurtle that I ever faced was how to group artwork together and frame it. I rarely worked in standard dimensions (and Ikea was a foreign thing to me at that time), so I would have to get creative. I still use a lot of the same techniques for hanging artwork today.

I feel it’s important to have at least a few framed pieces to put on the wall. It adds a heck of a lot of polish to your space, with very little effort. Do it yourself with a stock frame, or have it framed from the get-go.

I took a framing class from BYU’s Museum of Art back in college, it gave me a whole new perspective on art. Before we started framing art, we ventured into the bowels of the art museum and saw originals of the most inspiring artists that have ever lived: Vermeer, Miro, Warhol . . .

It was from the guys that framed and handled the art of those artists that I learned how to frame. I’m not saying I am any good, but it sure was a special learning experience to witness first-hand the care and respect was given for artwork.

For odd shaped prints and flat works, I like to use hangers. I scored these sample hangers in San Francisco a few years ago. I have about 20+ still, and love having them around for misc. artwork. It’s also great to have them around for giving art pieces. Simple, easy and they ship well.

I’ve also used bulldog clamps for irregular shaped pieces. They’re very low-impact, visually, and don’t affect the surface of the art.

For irregular sized pieces that are not flat, I like to use upholstery tacks and strips of leather. It adds a more tactile experience to the art, which I can’t get enough of.

I like to mix and match these high and low techniques for hanging artwork on my walls. It’s true to my diverse aesthetic and gives me no excuses for an empty space on my wall.

How do you hang art on your walls? Push pins? Stock frames? Vintage frames? I’d love to hear in the comments below.