Large Landscape Paintings: How to Choose Art for a Big Wall
I recently finished one of my biggest paintings yet, aside from murals, that is. At 48 x 60 inches, it’s almost bigger than me!
This painting, "The Shape of Wind", was inspired by a crooked, windswept tree I photographed during a visit to Killarney Provincial Park with my husband. I chose to go big partly to push my limits as an artist, but also because I feel that trees can easily command a bigger canvas.
Painting at this scale changes the way I work. Instead of sitting in a chair, I need to stand up, move around, step back, and get my whole body into the painting process. That naturally lends itself to more expressive brushwork and a greater sense
of movement and flow.
Start with wall art that speaks to your heart
There are practical things to think about when choosing art for a big wall, including scale, colour, furniture, and the size of the room. But honestly, more than anything, I think the piece needs to speak to your heart.
Sometimes it’s the colour that pulls you in. Sometimes it’s the subject. The right painting can give you that feeling of, I’ve been here, or I want to go there. It connects with something deeper than decorating.
With this Killarney painting, I hope someone can almost feel the air that shaped the tree, the natural elements, the sense of freedom, and the feeling of being out in nature. I hope it brings them back to trails they’ve walked and days spent outside.
Let one landscape painting anchor the room
A painting this size doesn’t whisper. It commands a place. To me, it says, This is important. I love trees. It’s bold and unafraid, and it can become the central feature that pulls a room together.
One strong landscape painting can give the eye somewhere to land and create a focal point on a wall that might otherwise feel unfinished. It can also be a calmer choice than filling the same space with many smaller pieces competing for attention.
A substantial painting can work beautifully in a living room, dining room, cottage great room, or anywhere you have enough space to step back and take it in. Above a sofa or console can work too, although with a 48 x 60 inch painting, the furniture underneath had better be substantial enough to hold its own!
Choose the right scale for your wall and furniture
Scale matters, but I know it can be surprisingly difficult to imagine a painting in your own home. My simplest advice is to tape out the dimensions on the wall with painter’s tape.
Live with the outline for a little while. Walk into the room from different directions, sit where you normally sit, and look at how the size relates to the furniture and the rest of the space. A painting that feels enormous when you’re standing two feet away from it can feel completely different from across a living room or great room.
I also offer digital room mockups. If you’re considering one of my paintings, you can send me a photo of your wall and I can create an image showing the artwork in your space.
For original work displayed at Cloud Gallery in Orillia, the gallery also offers personalized art-buying services, including in-home consultations. Seeing a piece in relation to your actual home can remove a lot of the uncertainty from choosing artwork at this scale.
Use colour to create a focal point
When I choose colours for a painting, I think about both the landscape itself and how those colours might live in a home. A lot of current furniture and interiors are fairly subdued and neutral, which can create a wonderful opportunity to introduce more colour through the artwork.
A bold painting can become a central landing point for the eye and bring energy, warmth, and personality into the room. That doesn’t mean the artwork has to perfectly match the sofa cushions.
From my viewpoint, though, it should coordinate with or complement the space in some way. Maybe the painting picks up colours that are already present, or perhaps it introduces something new that still feels balanced with the furniture, wood tones, fabrics, and surroundings. I want a painting to feel connected to a room without disappearing into it.
If you’re choosing artwork for a cottage or lake house, I’ve also shared a few thoughts on finding pieces that feel connected to the landscape and the way you live.
See the artwork in your room before deciding
If you love colourful artwork but feel nervous about committing, don’t force the decision. Ask to see it in the room first, either in person or digitally.
A painting should feel exciting, but you also want to feel confident living with it. Seeing the actual scale and colour in your own space can be completely different from looking at a painting on a gallery wall or on a phone screen.
This is one of the reasons I’m such a fan of digital mockups and trying artwork in a home whenever possible. You can get a much better sense of whether the piece feels balanced, whether the colours work with the surroundings, and whether it gives you the feeling you hoped it would.
My biggest painting yet: "The Shape of Wind" a windswept tree from Killarney
This piece began with a visit to Killarney Provincial Park and one crooked tree shaped by wind and weather. I was drawn to its movement, its resilience, and the way it seemed to hold the feeling of that landscape.
Going to 48 x 60 inches pushed me physically and creatively because I had to move with the painting rather than simply work in front of it. I wanted the finished piece to hold the feeling of air, freedom, trees, rock, and time outside, something that might remind someone of a place they’ve walked before, or somewhere they’re still dreaming of going.
The painting is now finished and has been delivered to Cloud Gallery in Orillia, where it is available to view in person.
Not sure what size art will work on your wall?
Choosing the right scale can be one of the hardest parts of buying art. I’ve written a separate guide with simple tips for deciding how big your wall art should be, including how to think about furniture, wall width, and visual balance.
https://serenafineart.com/blogs/news/how-big-should-wall-art-be-a-simple-size-guide-from-an-artist
Considering art for a big wall?
If you’re unsure about size, scale, or how one of my paintings might work in your home, please reach out. I can create a digital room mockup to help you visualize the piece in your space.
You can also explore my available original landscape paintings and current gallery work.
https://serenafineart.com/collections/landscape-and-nature-paintings
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