When I first decorated my home, artwork lighting was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t take it seriously until one night, my close friend said, “You have such beautiful art, why not highlight them?” The next day, I search for accent lighting for artwork and this post was created. I choose the ceiling-mounted fixture because I am the biggest fan of darker art pieces, therefore, fixtures mounted high looks the best for me.
I realize oil painting is one of the hardest paintings to light because of the spectral highlights they produce. Hence when lighting oil paintings a broad-based light source looks best. Acrylic paintings aren’t shiny, so they don’t have the glare issues that oils or artwork framed behind glass do. It is possible to use any kind of light source.
Your frame plays an important role when choosing fixtures for your paintings. Artwork without a frame is one of the easiest to light with recessed, spotlight, and track lighting. A picture light will not work with wall sculptures.
TORCHSTAR Basic Series 12-Pack
Great for a narrow ceiling, the Torchstar is the perfect solution to light your artwork. They are easy to install and offer dimming features, so you can adjust the brightness from 100%- 5%. Because they are LEDs, it saves 85% of energy.
TeHenoo Adjustable Track Lighting Kit
The Tehenoo track lighting offers 360 flexibility when highlighting your painting. The LEDs provide minimum heat so they will not damage your art.
Olafus 4 Pack Wireless Spotlight
These spotlights are perfect to brighten your artwork. They are easy to install with adhesive to stick to your ceiling. You can dim them with the remotes, and Olafus is affordable.
Tips When Choosing Ceiling Lights For Art
There are many ceiling lighting styles to choose from: there are spotlights, recessed, and track lights. The guide below will help you find the best fixture suited for your art.
Recessed Lighting
Recessed lighting has a variety of design advantages, and there is no part of the light hanging from the ceiling. Individual fixtures don’t cast as wide a sphere of light as regular ceiling fixtures, and the low profile is ideal for spaces with low ceilings. Plus, it can spread lights throughout your painting or sculpture and offer maximum illumination to your pieces.
Track lighting
Track lighting is the best option if you have a wall or ceiling room for it. Since you can quickly add and remove lights or switch their location, it provides the most versatility if you change your mind about artwork placement later. They hold several fixtures and are usually aimed at the artwork like spotlights.
Spotlights
Spotlights offer flexibility when lighting your artwork. Therefore, depending on the ceiling height and aesthetics of the room, spotlights may be recessed, surface-mounted, or suspended. It also provides a narrow beam that helps highlight your art no matter the area it is placed.
How To Mount Lights On Your Ceiling?
A suspended track is the best choice for bringing the light level closer to your artwork, if the ceiling height is between 3 and 6 meters. Surface-mounted tracks are recommended if the ceiling height is between 2.8 and 3 metres.
In areas where you don’t need track fixtures, recessed lighting is an option. The flush mount method requires further installation time, but with recessed lighting, the ceiling remains clutter-free.
Color Temperature
Cool White- The color of cool white lighting (5000K) is intense and vibrant, similar to natural daylight. It works best in areas where task lighting is needed. The presence of color is not distorted by natural white light.
Warm White–Warm white lighting (3000K) is more similar to candlelight or firelight, and it provides a cozier, more soothing atmosphere. It is widely used to create a welcoming environment in residential projects as well as commercial spaces such as cafes and bars.
Can LEDs Lights Fade Artwork?
Museums are constantly looking for ways to preserve their artwork and protect it from light, which can fade colors over time. LEDs are a great solution because they don’t emit heat, so there’s no damage from infrared or UV radiation; they also don’t make that annoying buzzing noise like fluorescent lights.
Ceiling mounted lights are an excellent way to light up your painting, hopefully these tips can help you get started.
