David's Top 5 Favourite Works Installed

I am in a very privileged position as an Art Installer as I get to see, touch and study works that most people will never get to. In this post I will share with you some of my favourite works that I have had the pleasure of hanging and a bit of information about the artist and the work itself.

I have spent most of my art installation career working in Melbourne so most of the artists are Australian apart from the obvious one. Most of the pieces are owned by private collectors so the actual pieces I hung either for Hang My Art or Art Cubed are not featured below as the owners of the pieces wouldn't allow me to take photos for fear of losing the rights of the image. Where this is the case I have put images from the series or similar works to give you the feel.

My reasons for choosing the below are based on the WOW factor I felt when hanging the piece, some for the shear scale and some for what they depicted.

I must credit Stephen Robarts of Art Cubed as I would never have had the opportunity to hang or see several of these works if it wasn't for his employment and tutelage.

Artist: Tim Storrier

Title of the artwork: Unknown, Painting from his series of items ablaze in front of a night sky.

Medium: Paint

Rough Size: 2m x 0.9m

Details: Tim Storrier is one of my favourite Australian artists, his works look amazing as prints (which I hung several of) but the original that I hung was breathtaking. The detail and atmosphere he transfers into his paintings make you feel like you are there with him watching the flames. The artwork below is not the image I hung, but similar.

Artist: Jeffrey Smart

Title of the artwork: Unknown, Painting showed a Carlsberg truck on a motorway.

Medium: Painting

Rough Size: 1.2m x 0.7m

Details: Jeffrey Smart is by far and away my favourite artist. His works have a style that I am drawn to and love to study. I had the pleasure of hanging one original in a residential property during my time in Australia, a large number of his originals are in galleries. Below is an image of the zipper in Melbourne that Jeffrey produced that gives you an idea of his style. I have also attached an image of a Smart montage that Stephen and I hung, made up of 10+ prints in custom red frames.

Artist: Franc Hancock

Title of the artwork: Unknown

Medium: Sumi Ink on Paper

Rough Size: 5.5m x 1.2m

Details: This particular art work was by an artist I wasn't familiar with at the time but have since seen more of this work. The scale of the piece was awe inspiring. It travelled around Australia as, at 5.5m long, it had to be mounted onto canvas in Canberra and then onto Melbourne to be stretched. The piece was stretched onto 3 and a half stretcher bars (frames) and then bolted together to make one frame (see pictures below). Sumi ink is a fantastic medium and on such a large scale it created a beautiful visual that looked like ripples in the sand on a beach.

Artist: Picasso

Title of the artwork: La Comedie Humaine

Medium: Lithograph

Rough Size: 0.45 x 0.3m

Details: This is one of the more recent pieces I have had the pleasure to hang. Picasso's La Comedie Humaine is a great example of his work. I found the work really interesting to study and it put a smile on my face. Many people aren't aware that Picasso was a printmaker as what comes to mind when his name is mentioned are his paintings during the cubism movement but he was a talented print maker and during his lifetime experimented with many forms of printmaking.

Artist: Annette Spinks

Title of the artwork: Unknown (private commission I believe)

Medium: Resin on Board, diptych

Rough Size: 2 x 2m x 1.5m

Details: Annette works in a beautiful medium of resin on either canvas or board that gives great texture and mix of colour, it is a hard medium to work in but her works look fantastic. This particular piece was hung opposite a stairwell and, as you can see from the size of the door, it is a large work. The effect it gave and the colour it brought into the room show the skill of the artist. I also had the pleasure of hanging a piece from her wave series.