Inquiring Minds Want to Know

my display board at the 

FFFH Spring Art Show and Sale
© Nicki Ault, 2011  

I have received several emails and comments regarding the board that displayed my 30 paintings at the art show, so I thought I would do a quick post on that topic. It was pretty easy- if I can do it anyone can.

I went to Home Depot and purchased a large 4' x 8' (48" x 96") sheet of 1/2" thick MDF board and had them cut it at 57" (and used the left-over to make more 6 x 6" boards to paint on). I wanted to have a 3 inch border all the way around and then 3 inches between each painting. The math got me to 57" and in fact the vertical worked out perfectly. The horizontal was slightly imperfect because it turns out the MDF was actually 49" wide not 48" (probably to allow for cuts if you were chopping it down), so the borders on the left and right sides are 3 1/2 inches. I don't think it is noticeable. I primed it then measured it all out with my trusty side-kick (mom)! All of the paintings (6 x 6") have a hanger on the back set at exactly the same location... one inch down from the top and at three inches which is the centre. This made measuring the location of the nails on the board a snap because everything was uniform.

And speaking of a snap, for accuracy we used a chalk string to snap our lines once we marked our measurements out on the board. Where the vertical and horizontal lines met was where the nail went. I decided to hammer in nail holes while the board was laying flat because it was easier to set them straight in and not at an angle. This way the paintings all hang uniformly; I never could have gotten 30 angles the same. With the nails removed, my trusty side-kick washed the chalk lines off and painted the board a nice crisp white (satin finish) making sure not to fill the nail holes. Once dry, I went back and hammered in tiny picture nails with a small flat head and set them quite deep so each painting would hang close to the board. Voila! Keep in mind the board is heavy and needs a large-ish vehicle to transport, but it is easy to store and it is reusable. It needs a very sturdy easel to support it with a top clamp so it doesn't shift.

This is how I transported the paintings to and from the show...

Dish racks! I got this tip from another blogger's post ages ago and can't for the life of me remember who it was. If I could remember I would give her a shout-out. I had pre-planned and numbered the layout of the grid so when setting up I just gave the chart to my mom and sister and they went to town hanging the paintings while I figured other things out.

Hope this helps and isn't too confusing.