Choosing the right artwork for your living space

My clients often ask me what type of artwork should go in a certain room.  I always toss the question back to them and add a few more questions about the mood they want to set in the room.  Artwork can either be jarring to the eye and bring some energy or put the perfect touch on the room by complementing your current décor.    The choice becomes yours.  Artwork should always lift the mood of the room and a lot of time it can become the center piece that determines the entire feeling of your living space.   When I meet with clients, my goal is to determine three basic things:

1)  The size of the artwork
2)  The style which will set the mood
3)  The colors

That’s the hardest part of the job.  The rest is just creativity !!!

Time to go beyond just a name …

I’ve had the real pleasure to meet a lot of artists in the past few years.  They are all full of talent and creativity that you can’t help to be motivated yourself after talking to one of them. Very often, they are struggling to make ends meet but they still get up in the morning and work the paint.  It’s all about passion!

Having all the passion in the world will not necessarily bring in sales. As I have a strong background in marketing, I very often try to help out follow artists.  One thing that always strikes me is how little they know about selling themselves.

Typically, the product is not the problem. We all know how to be creative but selling ourselves is a whole new ball game.  The importance of branding yourself is crucial.

I attended a trade show just before Christmas and a total stranger told me that she recognized my booth from a distance.  She said she knew right away that it had to be Matt LeBlanc Art.    Any marketers would love to hear those words.

A brand is what makes you.  It’s what makes you stand out from the pack.  A brand has to go beyond just a name.  It’s about the experience you offer.  A brand is a combination of who you are, how you’re different from your competition, and why a buyer should do business with you vs. your competition.  It needs to go beyond the colors and shapes of your logo.

The personal branding process takes time and effort but it’s worth it.  When people are starting to really want your product without much effort, you’ll know that you’re on the right track to having a strong brand.  Here are a few things to get you started.

- Differentiation – recognize and promote your unique difference.

- Consistency- establish a professional image and stick with it.

- Messaging – define the key messages you want your audience to see and everything you do should include those messages.

- Experience – make every contact with you be an exceptional experience.

News from Matt LeBlanc Art – January 2010 Newsletter

Hello 2010!!! How did you manage to creep up on us like that? I still remember people panicking about the upcoming Y2K like it was yesterday.  It’s insane how things are just moving so fast. I’m very optimistic and excited about 2010. I have a feeling great things will happen! The first great thing to come around the corner for me is my new revamped website. It’s now live – make sure you check it out!

Like most people, I have set some personal goals & objectives for myself this year. I’ve re-aligned my priorities and decided what 2010 should be all about. After all, as humans, we have the ability to control a lot of things in our lives. Some things are obviously less controllable – life-changing situations happen every day in the world.  It’s inevitable. I believe it’s how you deal with these situations that matters. How you react and how you re-adjust will determine the outcome.

Sounds easy enough, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes people need a little help. As my career grows, it becomes more and more important for me to give back to society. I’ve been planning something over the last couple of months what will become the biggest and toughest project of my young career. It will be called the Matt LeBlanc Art For Life campaign.  I can’t give you too many details at this point, but it will be a great part of what I will accomplish this year as an artist. Don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know!!

Wishing everyone and happy and safe 2010! 

To read the full January newsletter, click HERE

Turner’s Christmas at the Coliseum …

I’ve recently attended the 23rd Turners’s Christmas at the Coliseum show.  I’ve met so many wonderful people in this 3 days event.  The whole experience was definitely worth it.  Thank you everyone for your support !!!

Matt LeBlanc Art

Vibrant red painting by Matt LeBlanc

A few 16"x16" on sale for $50

More 16"x16 ...

News from Matt LeBlanc Art – December 2009

For this month’s newsletter, I invite you to turn off Jingle All the Way for a minute and crank up your volume for the new Matt LeBlanc Art video. This is the first of many videos.  Read the full newsletter by clicking here: http://www.mattleblancart.com/newsletters/december2009.html

My latest blue painting

I really enjoy painting vibrant pieces.  It just screams energy !!!!! This one was done with different tones of blue with a big splash of white.  There’s lots of texture to this painting which is hard to see from the pictures.

Original Abstract Art by Matt LeBlanc

Original Abstract Art by Matt LeBlanc

Artwork for your children’s rooms …

I’ve recently started a new product for children’s rooms.  This painting can be done in any size and made to match colours in the room.  You can go a bit modern like in the example below, or get a little funkier with bright colors and have something really fun for the room.

This product can also be done on individual small canvases, where each letter is one canvas. It can by hung on the wall or placed on a shelf – it all depends on the look you’re going for. Go ahead, send me pictures of your child’s room and tell me what you’d like – I can’t wait to do more!!

Original Art by Matt LeBlanc

Custom artwork for children's rooms

Close-up

My latest red painting …

Original art by Matt LeBlanc

How to properly hang a painting …

My clients often ask me how to hang artwork properly in their homes. There are several guidelines to keep in mind. Here are a few suggestions.

How to properly hang artwork

One of the most common mistakes that people make when hanging artwork is that they hang it either too high or too low. The “rule” is that you should hang artwork at eye level. But this is difficult to do – everyone’s eye level is different, and often artwork hung at eye level is at the wrong height for the overall space. I always tell my clients to think about their artwork in relation to the furnishings and the walls in the room, and to hang the piece at a height that creates a harmonious balance in the space. For example, artwork in a living room should be hung lower because you’ll be looking at the artwork from a seated position the majority of the time.

When hanging artwork over furniture, such as a couch or a buffet, make sure the artwork is not wider than the piece of furniture you’re hanging it over. Also, make sure the artwork is hung low enough that it looks like it is part of a grouping with the furniture. I recommend hanging artwork between 6-9 inches above a couch.

Matt LeBlanc Original art above a couch

When hanging a triptych (three canvases that form one painting), the key is to place the canvases close together to emphasize the grouping as one complete composition.  If you hang the canvases too far apart, they’ll look like three separate paintings. I recommend hanging triptych canvases half an inch apart.

If you have short or narrow rooms, you can make them look longer by hanging long panoramic pieces to help carry the eye along the wall. You can also hang three to six smaller square pieces in a balanced, evenly spaced line. This works especially well along the length of a dining table.