Portfolio

A gallery/salon wall is a wall of multiple pieces of art that are of different size and color composition. In my humble opinion, this is an area where Keywitz Art Installation excels.

Most art installation providers have no set method for these types of installations. They install one piece at a time and just wing the composition and hope for the best. This method is a problem because it is impossible to achieve the optimal geometric and color compositional harmony based on random placement.

I always lay out my compositions on the floor first. This method allows me to rearrange and swap out the art pieces until the perfect composition is achieved. The next step is to have my client safely climb up on a ladder and look at the composition from an elevated vantage point and give me the green light to move forward.

Once approval is confirmed, I can then transfer the locational coordinates from the floor to the corresponding locations on the target wall using line lasers and a tape measure. In the rare case that floor space is an issue and the pieces can’t be laid out on the floor the random placement method can be implemented, but the result will not have the same flow and compositional energy as the floor layout method.

Out of the hundreds of art installations I provided for clients all over Colorado, I can count on one hand the number of random layout salon walls I have implemented!

This year in July 2024, I had an install up in Keystone, Colorado. The installation consisted of only one piece. It was a beautiful western themed oil painting. What made the installation so challenging was that the fireplace wall was composed of large unevenly protruding river rocks.

I used the mantles’ leading edge as a parallel reference to the surface of the river rock. I facilitated setting up my green line laser to project along the leading edge of the mantle. I was then able to use my tape measure to pull measurements from the farthest protruding stones to the laser line reference.

Once the farthest protruding river rock was identified, I then found my grout line locations where I would make my anchor penetrations to install my structural fasteners to hang the art from. Using mathematical measurements and the laser line reference I was able to adjust the heads of the screws to protrude just past the farthest stone protrusion by 1/8”.

In the end the challenges of this type of installation surface were overcome by experience, patience and the confidence in my analytical thinking process.

I actually prefer that my clients watch and in some cases assist during the installs. My goal as an art services professional is to educate clients on my craft so that they can understand my thought process and also experience the passion I have for my job.

Art installation and curation is a team sport. The more engagement I have from my Colorado clients the stronger the finished product.