Welcome to the wall at my (unusually clean) desk at home. Drab and boring, right? Bookshelves once hung there until the brackets gave and my books tumbled down. I left the wall bare for a year until last summer.
This photo was the first in a series of daily posts to my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages showcasing the new pieces of art, photos and memorabilia now adorning this wall.
When the series was complete, I posted my “after” picture of my art-filled wall and converted everything, captions and all, into this blog. Please, keep scrolling…
Meet my favorite drawing of a woman by Leonardo da Vinci.
The Renaissance master sketched her profile in preparation for a portrait, Litta Madonna, which he and/or one of his students, possibly Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, painted sometime between 1481-1495.
I purchased the print from a Turkey-based dealer on Etsy, and the complimentary wooden frame came from Michael’s.
Look at how stately the Flatiron Building appears in this crystal-clear black-and-white, probably taken after it was completed in 1902.
Designed by Daniel Burnham & Frederick Dinkelberg, the 22-story iconic landmark is New York’s oldest surviving skyscraper.
This is an Etsy print that I fitted into a simple black frame from Michael’s. Unfortunately, I don’t know the photographer’s name, but if you do please inform me.
This Led Zeppelin IV record reminds me of the influence both my sisters had on my musical tastes when we were kids.
My sister, Maureen, gave me this framed 12-inch vinyl LP at Christmas a few years ago.
When I was planning to decorate my wall, I figured this would be a good memorabilia piece to add variety to my otherwise art-oriented selections.
The original frame was too large, so I resized the mat and slipped the disc into a tighter frame from Target.
Adding more variety to my wall of art, I posted a puzzle of Raphael’s “The School of Athens” depicting ancient Greek philosophers including Plato and Aristotle, the central figures.
Painted in the Vatican in 1511, the fresco reminds me of Ayn Rand’s “Philosophy: Who Needs It.” My first copy of that book—the title essay of which expounds on the vital importance of philosophy—features Raphael’s masterpiece on the front cover.
I purchased this puzzle at a Rome airport and the see-through frameless “frame” at Target.
The Vitruvian Man is the centerpiece on my wall of art, serving as a reminder of the wondrous mind of his creator, Leonardo da Vinci.
The Renaissance genius drew the iconic multiple-limbed figure within an interlocking square and circle, projecting his conception of a perfectly proportioned man and his place in the cosmos.
I purchased this print at a Venice museum and the “floating” frame from Target.
I had been eying this exquisitely detailed and perfectly proportioned butterfly for years at the summer craft fairs on the boardwalk in Long Beach, Long Island. With a bare wall at home yearning for art, I thought the time was right to finally buy this pen-and-ink drawing by Gene Rogovitz.
His butterfly print fits nicely with this thin black frame and white mat from Target.
This and other prints of Rogovitz’s art are available for purchase at his website:
www.TheSaltandSea.com.
My photo below of my art-filled wall reveals that it isn’t quite full.
I purposely left space around the main pieces to post postcards of inspiring art and vintage photos.
This inaugural postcard features a photo of painters at the Brooklyn Bridge, circa 1914.
Eugene de Salignac, a photographer for New York City’s Department of Bridges, posed the painters “on the web of wires like notes on a musical scale,” as Aperture so poetically captures what I love about this image.
Before decorating my wall with new pieces of art, I took measurements and sketched a layout.
With a doorbell cover and light switch cramming the right side of the wall, I created more space to the left. As mentioned previously, I’ll use the surrounding space to post postcards, mostly of brilliant artworks to add some color.
I employed my trusty hammer, leveler and tape measure (not pictured) to help turn the layout into a reality.
My answer to my once bare wall: various art, photos and memorabilia, in the form of prints, a puzzle and vinyl, and set in everything from standard black, matted and “floating” frames.
Notice, I also covered the doorbell case (top right) with a wicker basket that I crowned with a miniature of Michelangelo’s David.
Looking ahead, I plan to gradually fill and further brighten the wall with postcards of mostly colorful, inspiring art. I’ll post a picture of that completed wall once it’s done.
If you like to check out more of my home decorative work, please check out my article “The Value of Creative Solo Projects.”