The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. — Friedrich Nietzsche

Art has always been an important part of the Arbor Gate experience. Isn’t garden art an important way to enhance a garden and beautify a space? Seeing glass and stone and iron in a garden is a rest for the eye and a smile for the heart. It is the beginning of a closer look whereby your mind stops thinking about the worries in your life and begins to consider nature for the mind’s rest that it is.

Yet art can be found inside our store as well. Skilled local artists, kitschy creations, and serious statements about an artist’s passion can all be found in our shops. Definitively art is the application or expression of humanities skill and imagination. While it can be found in a sculpture or painting, the creation of the works exemplify beauty or raw emotional power.

Art can be the essence of passion. It can be sad or happy. Always it is loved. This is the purpose for our displaying and selling art as a part of the Arbor Gate experience. Below is a quick guide on how to hang art and it applies to both interior and exterior hanging.

How to Hang Art

1. Use picture-hanging hooks instead of heavy nails or screws, selecting two hooks for each piece of art work to prevent the art from leaning or jiggling.
2. Purchase the right type of hook for your artwork’s weight. Picture hooks come in three sizes; small for 30 pounds or less, medium for fifty pounds or less, and large for 75 pounds.
3. Art moves in the wind if hung on a wire. Try hanging art with D-Rings instead of wire.
4. Use a level and/or a ruler to make sure art is even

Art Arranging Tips

1. Cut out old newspaper shapes in the same design as your art. Try taping the newspaper on the wall first to prevent “Excessive Nail Hole Syndrome”.
2. Place art about two inches apart when grouping pieces.
3. Primary art should be at eye level. Say you are hanging a single portrait or mirror, for example, be sure when you are standing it rests directly in front of your eye. For most people, that averages around sixty inches off the floor.
4. Think outside the box – evenly placed grids are tired and boring. Hang odd numbers of pictures or art and place them in configurations that are not “boxed” and to even.