Lights for Paintings & Picture Lighting
ILD specializes in the professional installation of lighting for paintings. We have working relationships with the leading art lighting manufacturers of the world, and we possess all of the working knowledge and experience required to install the best equipment in any commercial or residential gallery that requires custom picture lighting solutions.Invariably, when we first call on a new client, we find that they are already using some sort of lights for paintings. In many instances these lights are what we call over-the-picture lights. They attach to the top of the frame and shine down onto the canvas or print below.
While there is nothing wrong with over-the-picture lights for paintings, we strongly encourage our new clients to use them only for less expensive artwork lighting. This is because infrared heat builds up in these lamps that can damage the fine oils and delicate canvases of more sophisticated works. The distribution of light is also a problem, because these lights create brighter spots near the top of the picture and darker areas near the bottom.
More sophisticated lights for paintings are required for high-end lighting applications, and professional lighting design is necessary to make the equipment support the art without distracting the attention of the viewer.
When lighting any painting, it is absolutely essential to match the amount of light to the size and shape of the picture. If we have too little light, we will have dark areas on the edges of the work. If we have too much light, illumination will spill onto the wall and form hot spots. Creating the necessary precision lighting effect that matches light to art is quite the challenge for the do-it-yourselfer. Proper art lighting requires mounting each fixture from an optimum vantage point. It also requires choosing a halogen bulb that has an appropriately-designed reflector that will create a beam spread equivalent to the dimensions of the picture.
There is a special science to balancing these two requirements that calls for a strong technical knowledge of all the many different art lighting fixtures and corresponding reflectors that are made. It is never workable for the collector to try to learn all this. Instead, it is more practical and cost effective to let a professional fine art lighting company choose and mount the right type of fixtures for the paintings on display.
Specific types of lights for paintings include track lights, surface mounted lights, recessed lights (that go in the ceiling), and framing projectors. Track lights, as their name indicates, suspend from tracks that run along the ceiling. They are often used in galleries that hang professional photography and have some limited use in temporary art lighting design installations. However, the larger ones are very difficult to conceal. Smaller track lights can be used in home environments because they are more low-profile in design.
Surface mounted lights for paintings install on the ceiling or on the wall and shine at precise angles toward different paintings or groups of paintings. Because surface mounted wall art lights are typically bulky and visible, it is crucial that you let a lighting designer select the right fixtures for you in order to better match your interior decorating and home interior architecture.
Recessed art lights for paintings are a much easier to conceal. They hide in recesses that are cut into the ceiling. They will only be noticed by someone who is looking for them. They, too, need to be positioned by a lighting designer who is able to determine just where fixtures need to be placed and angled for optimal lighting.
Framing projectors are high-end lighting tools for paintings that mount on the ceiling and shine down on artwork below. Many different types of framing projectors exist in the world of modern art lighting. Some are designed to be installed directly into the ceiling itself. Others are made for retrofit mounting in an environment where ceilings cannot be cut.
Whomever the artist and wherever the artwork is located, you can trust the lighting professionals at Illuminations Lighting Design to design and implement a fine art lighting theme that will showcase your collection in the best possible light on a budget you can afford. Let a trained fine art and sculpture lighting company help you with your art collection.
Contact us toll free at 800-863-1184 or locally at 713-863-1133 to request a design proposal.Since 1980, ILD has grown to include a team of over 50 talented and dedicated employees. Specialty divisions have been created to focus on such disciplines as lighting design, electrical contracting, landscape lighting and home automation. Having specialists in each of these disciplines, while remaining true to the mission of offering home owners the "complete picture" of lighting design, is key to continued success at Illuminations Lighting.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.
Labels: Art Lighting Consultants, Artwork Lighting Experts, Houston Art Lighting, Houston Fine Art Lighting Experts, Lighting For Paintings
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