Panels, Grids, Mesh.. Oh my! ? !

Hi. I'm just starting out. How should I hang my canvas oil paintings in my brand new tent? What would look good and not cost alot? Is there something a can make myself that would still look professional? What is the exact technique for actually hanging the artwork? Thank you in advance for any help you can provide for total newbie.

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  • I have found a lot of useful techniques at this blog:

     http://faso.com/fineartviews/20870/art-display-systems-for-art-fest...

  • http://thewillowsnest.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-make-easycheaplig...

     

    I am in the same boat as you are in.  Here is what I have found so far.  She seems to have a pretty good idea.

     

    Cindy Lesky

  • Hi Jennifer :) - the wind doesn't really make any difference, the burlap makes it less windy inside the booth somewhat but with it being an open weave it can blow through it. I haven't had any wind issues with it. The gridwall also weighs your booth down nicely although the weight isn't great when it comes to loading and unloading. I checked out the site with the open weave material you put up, that looks like it would work perfectly. You can't tell from my booth photo buy my work has somewhat of an old-fashioned feel to it and I use a little vintage carry on case to sell my small prints in......the burlap contributes to the look I'm going for. But for someone going for a more modern vibe, the burlap may not work as well as far as aesthetics go. It does come in different colors though - http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/burlap/color-burlap/color-burlap-f... . I just liked the gold because it made a nice neutral (but happy lol) backdrop for my work.
  • Hi Ann.....actually I use small 's' hooks and no, I don't think just any heavy fabric would work unless it had a loose weave to it. At least not with s hooks. They aren't sharp so you have to be able to push them through the fabric to loop over the gridwall. If there's another fabric with a loose weave like burlap it would probably work though. I just couldn't find anything else lol. Here's a picture of what the s hooks look like. My artwork has a wire on the back that lets me hang it on the bottom curve of the s hook.

  • Do you use uphostery clips to hang your paintings? Would any thick fabric work? Thanks, Ann
    Jennifer Simpson said:
    I don't know if you've found anything yet but you asked what you could cover grid wall with......I'm in the grid wall camp as well until I can afford propanels or something similar. I bought a giant roll of burlap that I cover them with. I don't even sew it, I just use little clips to hold it at the sides. I cut it so that one piece drapes over the front and back. You can get it in different colors and it looks nicer than the grid wall by itself. Here's a photo of my booth with it :

  • I don't know if you've found anything yet but you asked what you could cover grid wall with......I'm in the grid wall camp as well until I can afford propanels or something similar. I bought a giant roll of burlap that I cover them with. I don't even sew it, I just use little clips to hold it at the sides. I cut it so that one piece drapes over the front and back. You can get it in different colors and it looks nicer than the grid wall by itself. Here's a photo of my booth with it :

  • There are spray paints that are specific for metal. I bought 2x6 and 2x8 black gridwall and I think they look pretty good. It only takes 5 of them to make up a side.

    Jennifer Matteson said:
    After having tried a few different things out (plastic grids, peg board, covered peg board) out I would suggest getting some heavy Metal Grids. They help keep the Tent from blowing away in strong winds. I purchased some from a local shelving supplier. The only problem is they are ugly grey. The ones I got are small and it takes 6 of them to make up one side of the tent. We connect them together with zip ties. I paid $40 for 12 of them!! Once we have the grid wall zipped together, we then zip tie the 'wall' to the metal legs and upper rail of our tent. It sure makes it sturdier and with our added 5 gal buckets filled with concrete on each corner our tent has withstood 50mph winds. This year I am going to look into getting them painted white. Does anyone have any ideas as to what kind of paint I should get that will hold up on the steel shelving? I must say in checking out the Flourish Mesh walls I was very impressed about how the wind goes right through them if the tent walls are up and the tent remains in place in strong winds. They look 'easy peasy' but cost around $600. Hope this helps!
  • Thanks, Jennifer. I have any EZup tent. Do you know if the walls being connected directly to the tent causes a problem in the event of rain? Would the rain run down the walls and to the artwork?

    Thanks for all the help,
    Ann

    Jennifer Matteson said:
    After having tried a few different things out (plastic grids, peg board, covered peg board) out I would suggest getting some heavy Metal Grids. They help keep the Tent from blowing away in strong winds. I purchased some from a local shelving supplier. The only problem is they are ugly grey. The ones I got are small and it takes 6 of them to make up one side of the tent. We connect them together with zip ties. I paid $40 for 12 of them!! Once we have the grid wall zipped together, we then zip tie the 'wall' to the metal legs and upper rail of our tent. It sure makes it sturdier and with our added 5 gal buckets filled with concrete on each corner our tent has withstood 50mph winds. This year I am going to look into getting them painted white. Does anyone have any ideas as to what kind of paint I should get that will hold up on the steel shelving? I must say in checking out the Flourish Mesh walls I was very impressed about how the wind goes right through them if the tent walls are up and the tent remains in place in strong winds. They look 'easy peasy' but cost around $600. Hope this helps!
  • Anybody seen/ used the panels. They're cheaper than propanels, so I wondered if they'd be ok. I don't know if they are even the same type of material. http://www.csnsupply.com/Best-Rite-689D3-XX-BS1443.html

    Also, what about just hanging through canvas, is it strong enough to hold w/ upholstery hooks? http://www.csnsupply.com/Best-Rite-689D3-XX-BS1443.html

    I've posted want adds looking for used propanels, but no luck as of yet. I haven't found a local gridwall source yet, but I have another store to visit Thursday. I thought my tent woud be my only investment, but alas I see this is where the big bucks will go.

    Thanks so much for everyone's help.

    Robin Anne Cooper said:
    My advice use professional set-ups I started out with creating my own system it was heavy and hard to get around. Other people have spent the time and money to figure it out, but most importantly I recommend finding a way to borrow or rent a set that you are thinking about so you can experience the pros and cons of before you buy. The Pro Panel forum has a section where people post their panels for rent and for sale, I had a case of display envy this year and bought the mesh system for my tent and do not like the way it works with my art, so defiantly try before you buy.
  • My advice use professional set-ups I started out with creating my own system it was heavy and hard to get around. Other people have spent the time and money to figure it out, but most importantly I recommend finding a way to borrow or rent a set that you are thinking about so you can experience the pros and cons of before you buy. The Pro Panel forum has a section where people post their panels for rent and for sale, I had a case of display envy this year and bought the mesh system for my tent and do not like the way it works with my art, so defiantly try before you buy.
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