Picture This: Curating The Best Shelfie

May 27th, 2023

In our next segment of our “Picture This” blog series, we show you how to dress up your shelves in style.

With these fun Photoshopped examples, we’re here to offer you a few tips and tricks to curate the perfect “Shelfie” using fresh new Gallery MAR artwork. After all, we’ve all collected those meaningful objects, books, photos, and smaller artworks along the way. Now it’s time to give them the chance to truly shine with a beautifully curated Shelfie.

Plus, thanks to our new “15 x 15” Exhibition in honor of Gallery MAR’s 15th anniversary this summer, there’s no shortage of smaller works to add the finishing touch to your Shelfie.

PICTURE THIS:

Top Shelf, Left to Right: Nina Tichava, “Terni 52,” monotype, 14″ x 11″ | Hunt Slonem, “Jacquil,” oil, 10″ x 8″; Bottom Shelf: Wayne Salge, “Cat,” bronze, 9″ x 4″ x 4″

When thinking beyond your walls to create your perfect Shelfie, consider using Gallery MAR miniature favorites as a base. Gallery MAR owner Maren Mullin recommends “introducing other favorite objects, books, and photos to create your own personalized and meaningful bookcase look.”

You can also add a little texture to your with your favorite potted plants. Here the different textures of the potted plants and their containers helps accentuate the textures in this Nina Tichava piece and in the frame of the Hunt Slonem work. With shelves, you can also slightly overlap your pieces to create more dimension in your Shelfie.

Plus, the Wayne Salge bronze miniature makes for a practical, yet elegant bookend.

PICTURE THIS:

Left to right: Havoc Hendricks,”Naturally Beautiful,” mixed media, 15″ x 15″ | Wayne Salge, “Dog,” bronze, 9.5″ x 4″ x 4″ | Pamela Murphy,” Vigilant,” 26″ x 34″

You can put away your hammer and nails by placing your favorite small Gallery MAR works on floating shelves in your office space. We love how the colors in these works by Havoc Hendricks, Wayne Salge, and Pamela Murphy harmonize with the warmth and texture of this office space, without overpowering it.

Plus, by leaning these works against the wall, you’re more open to arrange and rearrange your shelves to keep your Shelfie looking fresh season after season.

PICTURE THIS:

Mantle: Joe Norman, “Peace/Chaos 12,” bronze, 12″ x 5″ x 5″; Middle Shelf: Hunt Slonem, “Este,” oil, 10″ x 8″; Bottom Shelf: Pamela Murphy, “The Sky Is Falling,” mixed media, 15″ x 15″

When curating your Shelfie, Gallery MAR owner Maren Mullin recommends keeping in mind the design rule of thirds by “arranging in threes and arranging in triangles.” This design principle helps keep a good balance between the elements in your Shelfie and gives a greater feeling of energy and interest to your home.

We love how the metallic textures of these works by Joe Norman, Hunt Slonem, and Pamela Murphy pull from the objects around them, while the colors and subject matters of the works still make them pop. Keep in mind that selecting artwork for your Shelfie is all about finding harmony with your space, not conformity.

PICTURE THIS:

Left to right: Havoc Hendricks, “Snow Capped Onyx,” mixed media, 14.75″ x 5″ x 5″ | Stefan Heyer, “Cosmic Music,” mixed media, 26″ x 17.5″

On the shelves in your home with a little more space, you can let a few of your slighter larger artworks shine, like this piece by Stefan Heyer. You can either hang your work slightly above the shelf so it hovers a few inches above your shelf or lean your larger works against the wall.

To secure these larger works on a lean, we recommend placing a rubber shelf liner at the bottom of the work so to ensure it doesn’t ever slip. You can even cut the rubber shelf liner the same length as the painting’s width for a more seamless look. This streamlined solution is not only affordable but also does no damage to the work itself.

Leaning your artwork on a shelf instead of installing it on the wall allows you to get more creative with your vignette. It gives you the flexibility to slightly overlap works, add small sculptures for dimension (like this sculpture by Havoc Hendricks), and arrange a few of your favorite miscellaneous objects nearby. Gallery MAR owner Maren Mullin recommends pairing your favorite artworks with the things that are really meaningful to you: “We all have these things, it’s just a matter of putting them together in the right way.”

PICTURE THIS:

Left to right: Sandra Pratt, “White Barn,” oil, 12″ x 12″ | Kevin Kehoe, “Elizabeth’s Porch,” oil, 15″ x 15″

If you want the look of a Shelfie but have no available inlaid bookcase or mantle shelf in your home, consider installing floating shelves to your home. The fun thing about floater shelves is that they can be installed anywhere in your home that needs a splash of color and beauty.

In this kitchen, the floater shelves sit high enough to be out of the way, but close enough to add a moment of peace and beauty to your everyday. For smaller shelves, you can even let your work take center stage all on their own, as with these two works by Sandra Pratt and Kevin Kehoe.

We hope these latest Shelfie in situ images have given you some art inspiration and have provided a reprieve for your eyes, mind, and heart. Let us know which works are your favorite or which works you would like to see Photoshopped into your space by emailing the gallery at info@gallerymar.com.

If your love seeing how your favorite Gallery MAR artworks would look in fresh new settings, check out more from our “Picture This” blog series below:

Picture This: Holiday Style

Picture This: Wild Horses

Picture This: Indoor Sculpture

Picture This: Outdoor Sculpture

Picture This: Home Office Decor

Written and Photoshopped by Veronica Vale