The Best Types of Paint for Wall Art

Oil

• Oil paint has a long tradition in the art world. Although some types of paint media such as encaustic or tempera have been around longer, a good portion of painters use oil because of the flexibility of the medium and because of its tradition. Decorating styles that respond well to having a gallery of oil paintings hanging on the wall include Tuscan, French country and Renaissance decorating styles. Look for frames that match the decorating style as well such as a gilded gold or carved wooden frame.

Acrylic

• Acrylic finds favor among painters because its characteristics combine some of the best features of both oil and watercolor paint media. It's blends in a fashion that's similar to the way that oil paint does. It dries quickly like watercolor, because acrylic is a water-based paint. You can find acrylic paintings that feature both representational and nonrepresentational styles. If you've decorated your home in a modern or retro style, buy some acrylic-based art that matches the style of your home.

Watercolor

• Paintings done in watercolor have a softness about them because of how the medium responds to the paper. Usually, watercolor paintings don't have the crisp lines you see with other types of paint. The water in the watercolor makes the colors bleed a little, giving these paintings a dreamlike quality. This type of painting works well if you've chosen an eclectic, cottage or Asian decorating style.

Considerations

• Some decorating styles by their nature allow for more than one type of paint medium to be displayed. Styles such as English country, for instance, allow for a gallery of many styles. Additionally, let your personal tastes act as your guide. While some paint media work better in some settings compared to others, if you love a piece of art and have room for it, hang it up regardless of the medium in which it was executed. Tie this piece into your picture gallery using subject matter or color instead of paint medium.

  Additionally, as you plan your picture gallery, make sure that you have plenty of good light near your paintings. Regardless of what medium you've chosen to highlight in your home, lighting will make it better, and bad light makes a painting look as if it's fading into the wall.