It depends on the wall, the room. Do you have pictures of your space?
I have a collection of art on my dining room wall that I enjoy.

It definitely depends. There are no right or wrong answers on this one - it's all about personal preference.

I personally like to have my wall space filled up.

(In this pic, the top painting has since been framed in a subtle gold leaf, plein-aire style frame.)

With the exception of the framed photograph that hangs over my fireplace mantle, none of my artwork is illuminated.

Art is a must in our house. It can be something as simple as framed postcards, but I can't stand expanses of blank wall. It looks unfinished.

As for what size art gets put up, that depends on a lot of factors. For instance, if I have a wall with a couple of windows and no big areas of blank wall (my rooms are quite small, I live in a 108 year old workman's cottage) I'll tuck smaller things between the windows. I don't much like little bitty pictures on large areas of solid wall - if clustered it looks cluttered to me and if spread out I think it looks cheap. Teacats has pulled off the "gazillion smaller pictures on a wall" well though, hopefully she will see this and post a photo. It's a very "old English house that's been in the same family for 300 years" arrangement, but I think that also has a lot to do with the things she's chosen. I have a bunch of small framed items but I save them for the odd little spots where nothing else would fit. I prefer to frame little things in larger frames with a mat that has multiple openings (they're not that expensive to have custom cut) rather than have them all individually framed because I think it's easier to grasp and appreciate them as a grouping that way. Here's a photo example from my previous house. In the first picture the four prints over the fireplace were a set but pretty blah as they were (and I rather disliked the frames they came in). I reframed them into one unit, shown in the second picture, and suddenly they had so much more impact in the room, although I still think I should have gone a little wider with the frame:

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And in my old bathroom, a set of four lovely notecards in an antique frame:

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(I have almost no pictures of my current house, since it's still in the "ugly fixer-upper" stage. I still have a closet full of artwork waiting to be hung up - hubby's mother was an artist and collector and we inherited a ton of stuff from her as well as our own accumulations.)

I also like big pieces of artwork in small rooms. For instance the walls behind my L-shaped sectional couch are 8 3/4 feet and 7 feet, but I have framed artworks up there that are 42" and 36" square respectively. (Floor lamps also take up some wall space.) Teeny little pictures in a small room feels timid to me, just like teeny little furniture - there's no "oomph". Of course there's a point where things are TOO big, and finding exactly the right scale can indeed be tricky at times.

I do not have any picture lights or spotlights on my artwork. I don't care for the tightly-focused light of conventional picture lights, which can also crank out enough heat to damage artwork, and to put it politely :-) I am not a fan of recessed cans or track lighting especially in an old house.

Her's some of mine. I like to move them from time to time same picture new location new look. I just love the groupings that aunt jen and threedgrad have! I'm afraid mine will look a little boring next to theirs.
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My home is filled with paintings done by my grandparents. My grandfather was the main artist, my grandmother was very good in her own rights, but he was the "artiste"!

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I mostly have black and white photos on my walls. Some professional, some by me, some bought, some found. I know that people think it's so Pottery Barn but I've been collecting black and white photos for over 20yrs. now. Some are new - many are from the 1800's.

Some displays are group displays:

Some are just 2:

I also have a penchant for old landscapes, none of which are on my walls at this time as I try to figure out how to incorporate the 2 different mediums.

I have several photographs(underwater photography) grouped in the entryway:
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I have framed tapa cloth I purchased in Fiji hanging in the stairwell:{{gwi:1717208}}

Almost every room in our home has windows on 2 or 3 walls so there's not much wall space but I fill every available bit of it with paintings, prints, mirrors, corbels, plates, architectural pieces, or other wall decor. The only place for one's "eye to rest" are the wonderful views out of every window.

I often prop paintings on shelves, sideboards, or the floor and use smaller ones in vignettes. It's easier to move them around that way.

I like gallery walls with a mixed arrangement of framed pictures, architectural items, personal items. I've also done various arrangements with plates in the past. Some rules apply but I think if one plays around with an arrangement on the floor it's fairly easy to get it right before hanging on the wall. The important thing is to get over the fear of putting holes in walls.

Wall decor is, of course, very individual. I collect what I like that's in my price range. Since I am pretty cheap and yard sale as a hobby many of my original oils and framed prints were found there for very little money. I've never paid more than $20 for a framed original oil at a YS and that one is my least fav! Altho the frame alone is worth more. Some I really like are done by talented, if unknown, artists and only cost 25¢ to $5.

This is an old pic of my stairway wall and now has a total of 10 original oil landscapes/waterscapes mostly from family or yard sale finds. Some are framed and some unframed but they are all original oils with the same general theme. It's really difficult to get a photo of the entire wall unless I climb out on the beam which isn't going to happen! The lowest row is stepped with the stairs and the other 4 rows are horizontal. This is the only wall decor in my home that I haven't changed except to add more. We patch and repaint often.

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I have two corbels like this I used in my bedroom but have now repainted them white and will use them in a guest room. YS finds for 2/$10 unpainted.

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Most of my 20 or so original oil paintings are landscapes, waterscapes, or still lifes but I couldn't resist "Charlie Brown" at $2. I keep him in my den and could put a different frame on him but it seems to suit him.

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Ahem, ttodd, I still have my eye on those pics. :)

Of course, if you want to throw in the rest...

What a wonderful array of pictures on walls, such a variety, isn't it wonderful that there is something for everyone? We all like something different. I have pictures I think on every wall in my home or else a shelf with stuff on it, I like 'stuff' best. I don't just have one of something, I have multiples of everything I believe. It's nice that we have individual tastes, likes and dislikes....it makes the world go around.

Here's the grouping on my wall in my living room ....

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Guido, you might also want to look in our Gallery. There are hundreds of photos in there of beautiful rooms, many professionally done.

This thread makes me happy :)

I don't have pics of our house but I'm a major wall-hanger too , of vintage original art I find usually in Goodwill (not crud, I promise :)). The one I currently feel warm/fuzziest about is a set of three that are related by their lines/vertical orientation, even though they're in three different media (similar color worlds, though). They make a 'conceptual' grouping, as it were, which feels dynamic to me because the connection isn't obvious, you have to figure out why the three are hung together, and once you do you can see how they harmonize. Works for me :) - or maybe it's just because I need more to do with my life :)

Be still my heart . . . I love art and love seeing beautiful pieces on other folks' walls, too. You all have such great displays! TTodd, the arrangement in your last pic is just wonderful. I love it! Jan's arrangments are always lovely. It looks like it could be in England.
Threegrad, you're dining room wall is great . . . you've got that symmetry down perfectly! And, Jen already knows how much I love ~ and covet~ her artwork. Did you paint that gorgeous, large horses painting yourself, Jen?

I fell head over heels in love with art at a very young age. We collect it and hang it everywhere, even abouve doors and in our toilet closet ;^D . Most pieces were great finds at auctions that didn't cost that much, or at local art shows, as New Mexico is a mecca for artists of all kinds.
I hang some in offbeat places, like on the mantel of my kitchen hood:
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Or above a door:

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Sometimes I try for symmetry:
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And sometimes I just start nailing them up on a wall, just to get them up someplace ;~P
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I have them hung almost to the ceiling in my powder room:
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You can prop them up on top of your kitchen cabs, if there's room. I love doing that because it's very unexpected, fills some dead space . . . and they don't have to be watered!
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You can pick something to be a focal spot in a room, like my clock here on the eating bar of my kitchen. I love it but it was too small by itself and looked lost on that big wall. So I just wrapped some paintings around it to beef it up:
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If you really have a nice, big piece of art, make it a real focal point all by itself, but add a few things that work with it, to make a real statement:
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As you can probably tell, I love art. And, I'm always looking for new r unique ways to display it. I hope that you find some ideas that are perfect for your home, here on this thread or over on our Albums. It's not rocket science, it just has to make you happy.
Lynn

Ok well that's all fine and good...but what I really want to know is...what's hanging above your toilets?

(sorry couldn't resist) ;OP

A Hiroshige I inherited from my mother, igloo. So there!

Many thanks to everyone for your great suggestions and for the effort to post your pictures! It was very inspiring, and also nice to see how much and varied art there is around.

There's some work for me to do!