Illumination About Illumination

                                            Lighting your art

Ever notice how the walls in your living room change color as the sun does its daily dance from morning to night? Ever notice how diamonds sparkle in a jewelry store? Ever notice how fluorescent lights make you look like you just had a near death experience? There's a simple reason for all of this: light determines what we see, so the quality of light illuminating our art will have a very significant affect its appearance.

In my experience as an artist, light is as much a part of art as paint. When I am in the latter stages in the creation of a piece, I'll start carting it around with me. I put it in the kitchen, take it to my hair salon, hang it up in my bedroom or put it outside. The difference the varying light makes is so significant that I would never call a piece finished until I had seen it in many environments and made adjustments accordingly. Being an artist really makes me aware of light, in the same way that being an oenophile makes someone aware of the amazing nuances in a sip of wine. What was once hardly worth mentioning soon becomes an array of beautiful subtleties you can't believe you had missed.

If I had my way, I'd sit you down in a wooden chair and lecture you about the benefits of proper art lighting. I'd go on and on, gradually changing your whole understanding about the subject and watching you very, very closely to make sure I stopped just before you slugged me. But since you're not going to let me do that, here it is, the cushy version, all you'll likely ever need to know in less time that it takes to brush Mr. Woofles. If you truly love art, you really ought to know this stuff; owning beautiful art without knowing how to light it is like owning a baby without knowing how to kiss it. 

This information is not only useful for lighting art, it applies to lighting your home in general. There are few things that will contribute to or detract from the overall ambiance of a room more than lighting.

If you're really not all that interested in investigating ways to improve your lighting, keep this somewhere on your computer or print it off. There's plenty of good stuff here and it took me a heckofa long time to research — so you won't ever have to. One day, you might be glad you've got it.

I will cover the main aspects of artificial light only, natural daylight is another subject that needn't be addressed here.
 

Let's begin with looking at the most common types of bulbs. 

• Incandescent: the old fashioned bulb that is now being phased out. Works well for art. UV radiation is moderate (more on this coming up).

• Fluorescent: this type is little short of a curse when visual impact matters. Great for lighting up a stack of tires or pallets of dog food, but art? uh...no. Fluoresent bulbs emit a lot of Ultraviolet Radiation (UV) that will fade pigments over time; not good. Save this type of bulb for places art wouldn't dare set foot in. That being said, there are specialized types of these bulbs that do work reasonably well, read on.

• Halogen: the gallery standard for years. A good choice. The down side to halogen is they create a lot of heat, so don't exceed the maximum wattage for the fixture they are in. UV in halogens is moderate and shouldn't be a big issue, as long as they're not too close to the art.

• LED: the newest in lighting and truly a gift in many ways. Until recently, LEDs were not the best choice for illuminating art, but technology continues its magic show and good quality LEDs are at the top of the heap. Modern LEDs emit very minimal UV and thus, will not fade and damage pigments. Be careful with dimmers though, not all LED bulbs work with all dimmers. Look on the box to see if the bulb is dimmable; some are, some are not.

Okay, that's the short of it — but I'm not done with you yet. Let's get just slightly technical and milk every last photon from those colors.

Color temperature is the warmness (more yellow, like a candle or fireplace) or coolness (more blue, like the snow at twilight) of a light source. The temperature is measured in degrees and is often indicated on the light bulb box. For lighting art, we're looking for accurate color rendition, which means a light that is fairly neutral. A bulb with excessive warmth will accentuate the warm tones in the art, also muting and possibly “muddying” the cooler tones. Too cool of a bulb will have the opposite affect, murdering all your nice yellows and reds and making your art (or room) look cold and stark. There's really no such thing as the correct color temperature for lighting art (or a room); it's a matter of personal preference, but somewhere in the 2700 to 3500 degree range is what most galleries and museums use. 2700 is a very common temperature for bulbs you buy in most stores. It's quite yellowy/warm but gives a cozy feel that people are used to. I prefer 3000 for most art. It's still warmish, but more neutral, offering more accurate color rendering than 2700 degrees. You can get bulbs that are 5000 degree's but it will likely feel too cool and stark for you. Many halogens and LEDs have the color temperature labeled on the box. Try to find something more definite than "cool" or "warm" or "daylight"; look for a number. If all they have is "warm", they are probably 2700s. If it says "white light", it's hard to say what the temperature will be, likely anywhere from 3000 up.

Because most of us are so used to looking at art and rooms in warmer light (2700 degrees), a whiter, clearer, more neutral light can feel a little too white and perhaps un-cozy at first. But remember, it's just what we're used to and it doesn't take long to create a new "normal". When I first switched to 3000 degree bulbs in my art studio and hair salon, I couldn't decide whether to squirm or have a smilefest. But it didn't take long for me to love how bright and clear all the colors looked.