The surface is part of the work
Put the same image on paper, canvas, and aluminum and it won't look the same. The surface changes how you see it.
That's one reason I chose archival aluminum. Light moves across it differently depending on where the work hangs, where you're standing, and what's happening in the room. Darker areas can become more noticeable from one position while another part of the image catches your eye from somewhere else.
I also wanted a material that made sense for a one-of-one work. If someone acquires a piece from me, I don't want the surface to become something they have to constantly think about or manage.
It changes throughout the day
I noticed pretty quickly that the work doesn't look exactly the same at eight in the morning as it does at eight at night.
Natural light is softer. Once the lamps come on, certain colors and darker areas can become more noticeable. Even where you're standing in the room affects what you see first.
That's simply part of working with aluminum.
Living with the work
I don't want someone to hang one of my pieces and stop seeing it six months later.
The nice thing about aluminum is that the room keeps getting involved. Daylight moves. Blinds open and close. Lamps come on at night. You pass the work from different directions depending on where you're going.
Entryways, hallways, dining rooms, and offices are especially good places to notice this because you're seeing the work in passing. You may catch something from across the room that you didn't notice when you were standing directly in front of it.
Lighting aluminum art
You don't need special lighting to hang one of these pieces. Indirect daylight or a nearby lamp may be enough. A picture light can work too.
The main thing I'd avoid is putting a strong light directly in front of the work where it creates glare at eye level. Sometimes moving the light or changing the angle slightly fixes the problem.
Before adding another fixture, look at the wall at different times of day. You may already have better light than you think.
What you can't see online
This is probably the hardest part about showing aluminum work online.
I can photograph a piece accurately, but the photograph still captures one position, one moment, and one set of lighting conditions. You're also looking at that photograph on a screen, which is a completely different surface.
In person, you can walk around the work. Take a couple of steps to either side and the light hits it differently. That's the part a product photograph can't really give you.
Float or frame
My aluminum works float approximately half an inch from the wall. The small space behind the piece creates a shadow around it, so it doesn't need a traditional frame. It also arrives ready to hang.
The framed works are different. The frame gives the image a clear boundary, and sometimes that's exactly what a room needs.
I'd choose between them based on where the work is going. If there's already a lot happening on the wall or around it, I might go with a frame. In a cleaner space, I'd probably let the aluminum stand on its own.
Why I use aluminum
I'm making one-of-one works, so I think about the physical piece someone is actually taking home.
How it looks on the website matters. How it looks when it arrives matters more. And I want the material to make sense years after that.
That's why aluminum became part of the work for me.
See it in your own light
No photograph can show every way an aluminum piece will look once it's hanging in your home or office.
The best way to understand it is to live with it. You'll see it in daylight, at night, from across the room, and while walking past it without thinking about it.
Some days you'll notice the face first. Another day it might be the color or a detail you hadn't paid much attention to before.
That's what I like about the material.
