Gardening & artists who garden | NZ Fine Prints

For some people gardening is a chore, for others it is a sandpit for adults. 

The Garden by Barry Ross Smith

The intersection between human habitation and our natural environment is where the intrinsic beauty of plants meets our unique among animals impulse to re-order what nature has created in what appears to us to be a more aesthetically pleasing (and productive) way.  

Detail of Lazy Bones & the Pleasure Garden by Hamish Allan

It is fair bet that those of us who have been bitten by the gardening bug might also want to bring the outdoors inside when it comes to art, decorating our walls with botanical posters for instance. And it is not too far of a stretch to imagine these flora fans are also buying prints of birds in such vast numbers over the past few years as we celebrate the fact that native birds of NZ are being seen in increasing numbers within the gardens of our towns and cities thanks to both pest eradication but also the deliberate creation of habitat in domestic and public gardens.

Japanese artist Hiroshige, the epitome of gardens as art

But as part of a small campaign to exercise our print buyer's more whimsical choices (he jokes that sometimes he can't resist buying what he thinks people should want rather than what they actually do) we have dipped our toes into offering a new collection of wall art - prints of gardens and gardening (we have also allowed him to buy a large range of retro/vintage music and film posters) but he will now be back on the straight and narrow for the next
few months!

Backyard Incinerator by Dick Frizzell 

There are artists who garden,
most famously Claude Monet whose garden at Giverny was, as we would say these days, part of his practice. But local kiwi painters like Jeanette Blackburn are almost as well-known for their garden art galleries as for their work. And then we have Hamish Allan's carefully composed renditions of what could only be a New Zealand backyard, Dick Frizzell's "backyard" series like his prints of lawn mowers and the incinerator pictured here - and then the doyen of NZ garden painters Karl Maughan from whom we still have just the single offset print available, "Riverhead".

The impetus for putting together our new gardens/gardening art collection really came from seeing how the posters of Japanese woodblock prints brought together artistic merit with a celebration of gardening as art, as the gardens in Japan are surely the epitome of the landscape as art. And we thought that maybe people who are into gardening but not so much into art would like to see just how well Japanese style wall art would suit them but they would not think to search for this kind of artwork in our online catalogue.

Gardens are such a fascinating glimpse into the way we imagine we would like to live, from the garden that is neglected to one that is bursting with this season's most fashionable colours how we garden says so much about the people who live in it.  We hope you enjoy our new collection of garden art prints - it is not just for those of us who are into gardens and landscaping, surely there are plenty of folk who may enjoy a garden when it is an artistic expression of aspects of what a garden is framed on the wall rather than being out there pulling out the weeds every weekend!

How to Hang Wall Art Like A Pro | NZ Fine Prints

How to Hang Wall Art Like A Pro

Having art prints in your home is a great way to express your creativity and personal style, and making an extra effort to thoughtfully hang your favourite images will only help maximise the aesthetics of your home. This guide will provide a few tips on arranging your art to get the most out of your walls.  

  

Determine Your Location

Once you have collected your pieces of print art, you'll want to start to think about the best place to hang them in your home. As most canvas prints are susceptible to damage from elements like temperature and humidity, it's recommended that they hang in a cool and dry area of your home. Some optimal areas include living rooms, bedrooms, and hallways where the temperature stays consistent.

Luckily, within these areas, there are so many different places to hang your wall art, such as above: 

 • a bed
 

 • living room furniture
 

 • a fireplace
 

 • a desk
   

You can ultimately much hang your art anywhere in these areas that there is a blank wall available. The choice is yours!  

 

Consider the Arrangement

But before you even think about hanging your art, it's essential that you consider the arrangement of your pieces. This step will help you to avoid any unnecessary holes in your wall.  

We recommend gathering your art prints, placing them on a table—or even the floor—and moving their positions until you find an arrangement that you like best. This process allows you to get creative and try different layouts without committing to one solution. Once you have made your final decision, take a photo of the arrangement so you can refer back to the picture as you begin to hang them. 

This technique is especially valuable for prints in a series. Some pieces of art are designed to be hung together—in a triptych for example. On the other hand, you might take three pieces from completely different artists, and decide that you want to make a series out of them! Art that uses similar colours or themes is ideal for matching like this.

 

Hanging Multiple Prints

If you are working with an extensive collection of art, you might find yourself needing to create several different series of prints—perhaps a series for each room. When you have a lot of art to arrange like this, it's important to treat them as a gallery to achieve a balanced look. 

When you are arranging wall art with groups of prints, you can really get creative. Try a few different techniques like hanging them side-by-side, slightly staggered, symmetrically, or even asymmetrically. Whatever layout you decide on, we highly recommend using low adhesive tape to plan out your arrangement on your wall and help you determine your optimal hanging position and nail placement.   

 

Judge the Distance

Measuring your available space and the distance between each print will help keep the correct spacing between them as you begin to hang them on your wall. Ideally, the space between each piece should be in the range of 5cm to 15cm. This, as a general rule, is the sweet spot.   

Another helpful recommendation is that your art arrangement should not span wider than the piece of furniture that you're hanging it over. While these "rules" are certainly solid advice, feel free to experiment with different measurements, especially if you want to achieve a different effect.  

 

Hang at Eye-Level

Most people tend to hang their wall art too high on the wall, and it's widely accepted in the art world that the optimal position to hang a piece is at eye level. To be exact, you should look to hang your print at the height of 5'7, which represents the average human eye height, and is also a measurement that is regularly used in galleries and museums.  

 Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule. For those with low ceilings, you will have to calculate the optimal position based on the available space, and if you intend to hang your art over a couch or a fireplace, these prints will naturally be placed higher on the wall. 

 

Reach Out to Us for More

For more information on how to hang your art like a pro, reach out to our team of experts—we are more than happy to answer any of your questions. If you are still searching for your dream prints, check out our stunning range of canvas prints and framed wall art in our online store. 

The Best New Zealand Landscapes for Art Prints | NZ Fine Prints

The Best New Zealand Landscapes for Art Prints

When exploring the world of framed wall art in New Zealand, you can quickly discover that there’s a wealth of options. Landscapes are a popular pick, especially because there’s no shortage of incredible scenery in Aotearoa, and thus no shortage of art featuring stunning natural features and breathtakingly vistas, viewed through the lens of the artist.  In this blog, we look at some of the best New Zealand landscapes, and discuss why they lend themselves so well to art.

 

Aotea / Great Barrier Island

Aotea, known to most as Great Barrier Island, is part of Auckland’s well-known Hauraki Gulf. The island lies around 100 kilometres from the central Auckland harbour. It’s the sixth-biggest island in the country, and Mount Hobson—the island’s peak—reaches over 600 meters above the sea. Aotea is the ancestral home of Ngāti Rehua, and the island has two marae, one affiliated with Ngāti Rehua, and the other with another local iwi; Ngātiwai. 

Print of Great Barrier Island by Justin Summerton

During the colonisation of New Zealand, Aotea was settled by Europeans for mining, Kauri logging, and was later the location of New Zealand’s last whaling station. As time went on, more on more of the island fell under the protection of the Department of Conservation, and these days, over half of the island is a nature reserve. Just under 1000 people live on the island, and those who visit tend to feel like it is like stepping backward through time.  

Aotea’s position just off the coast of Auckland is a big part of what makes it so great for art. It’s pronounced shape in the heart of the harbour draws the eye, and it hasn’t been settled in the same way that other islands—like Waiheke—have. Even though it’s just next door to New Zealand’s biggest city, the island remains largely how it always has.

 

Piopiotahi / Milford Sound

Milford Sound Canvas Print by Dale Gallagher

Milford Sound, or Piopiotahi in Māori, almost needs no introduction. The South Island fjord is world-famous, having been named the world’s number one travel destination in the TripAdvisor 2008 Traveler’s Choice Awards. Piopiotahi is potentially New Zealand’s most famous attraction, and in the age of the Travel Instagram, the magical location has charmed thousands. Rudyard Kipling even once called it the eighth Wonder of the World!  It’s no wonder Milford Sound makes such a popular subject for landscape art—it’s hard to think of any part of New Zealand that looks more visually arresting. View our Milford Sound prints for more!

 

Aoraki / Mount Cook

Mt Cook & The Tasman River by Peter Beadle

The tallest mountain in New Zealand, the mighty Aoraki reaches 3,724 metres above sea level, towering over the Southern Alps; the mountain range that forms the spine of the South Island. Mount Cook has long attracted avid mountain climbers, with several summits, and views of nearby glaciers.  Ngāi Tahu, one of the main iwi in the south of New Zealand, have a strong connection to Aoraki. They hold the mountain as a sacred ancestor—Aoraki forms a physical link between the natural world, and the supernatural. It’s easy to see why the locals hold the mountain in such high regard—it truly is awe-inspiring. Mountains—particularly volcanoes—are almost always held in high regard by indigenous peoples, and perhaps this sense of awe is also why so many artists are drawn to it, in an attempt to capture the immense sense of scope the mountain has. View our Mount Cook prints to find the perfect landscape piece for your space.

 

Want a piece of New Zealand’s landscape in your home?

Here at NZ Fine Prints, we sell a huge range of NZ landscape prints, from a number of celebrated artists. If you’re looking to decorate your home with a piece of New Zealand’s natural majesty, you can’t do much better than a framed print. See the range for yourself in our shop today!

The Benefits of Framing Your Art Prints | New Zealand Fine Prints

The Benefits of Framing Your Art Prints

Having art prints and buying art is a relaxing pastime for many New Zealanders. But when it comes to framing, it’s another decision to make whether or not to add one to your purchase. Frames can be especially beneficial to any art purchase for many different reasons. In this blog, we’ll take a look at what difference framed wall art can make!

Keep Your Art Looking Newer for Longer

One of the most significant benefits of framing wall art is that it is a sure-fire way to extensively increase a print’s longevity. We all know too well the amount of collected dust, sun damage, and general wear and tear any piece of art will come across even in the most spotless of houses! A frame will protect your art significantly by providing a barrier between the artwork and the elements.

Instead of having to carefully remove dust directly from the parchment of your print, you can easily grab the spray-and-wipe and dust off the glass and frame. In the rare case any water damage should occur in your home, you can rest assured that your frame will be a good, hearty surface to stop a general spillage or leak from causing extensive damage to your art. Even in a bright and sunny room, the glass of a frame will be an extra barrier against UV rays that can cause your print to fade. You can even look into more advanced UV glass protection if your print is positioned somewhere that gets direct sunlight.

Frames Add More Value

Not only is a frame an excellent form of protection for a piece of art, it can also add additional value to a piece. After all, a frame is a crafted adornment that can add another element of beauty, elegance and overall quality to your art piece. Italian renaissance paintings were famous not only for the art themselves, but also for the stunningly extravagant frames that they were housed in, which showed likeness to the art nouveau architecture of the time.

While most art frames today are not so nearly intricately carved or adorned, they are still a beautiful piece of contemporary design which can hold immense value. Whether they are hand-carved out of a decadent woodgrain, or a simple yet on-trend design that fits into a contemporary style, frames can hold varying values to whoever owns them.

Work It into the Home

Frames add excellent benefit to any homeowner who is particular about their interior style. Pieces of art are unique; they often don’t fit into any particular trend or design style, because they are their own entity and shouldn’t have to. This makes it trickier for people to fit them into the right spaces in their homes—what if the colours don’t match perfectly or the textures clash with the wall behind it?

For homeowners who want to own beautiful art and incorporate it into the interior style of their home at the same time, a frame is the perfect middle ground. It sets a piece of art apart from its interior surroundings, creating a barrier that allows you to choose whatever art you like, and work it into whatever style of home decor you surround it with. Often, a solid white or black frame can be perfect for this. It causes the art to live inside the frame and prevents it from clashing with the space around it.

What about Canvas Prints?

You may feel a little different about framed canvas prints. Due to their interior frame already placed on many of them during the stretching or mounting process, there may be less reason to add an external frame. While this is true, and canvas prints can work better than many other forms of art on their own, it is still good to frame your canvas prints for longevity, value, and style.

Shop Framed New Zealand Art Prints

If you’re looking for a framed art print for your home, we have the widest range of New Zealand and international art prints available online. Get a print delivered right to your doorstep, framed and all! Shop online today.