Picture Perfect: Clustering Collections

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Leslie Clark Grey knows the secret to displaying her collections: cluster then breathe.

As the owner of Deer Run Artifacts in Cambria along the central coast of California, Leslie collects pieces from her travels to India, South America, and around the Midwest. But it’s in her own home that she has perfected the art of displaying her own personal collections, including Mexican ceramic plates along her living room wall.  

  Ceramics and bear statuettes nestle on a built-in living room shelf.

A series of wooden duck decoys line up in front of a window overlooking the woods.

An impressive Abalone shell grouping climbs unexpectedly on an outdoor terrace wall.  

But looking closely at these cool clusters of collectibles, you also see emptiness: negative, open space.  A frame, if you will, to the offset and enhance the impact of the ‘cluster’.  A zone that allows the collection to breathe. 

So, dear collectors, when displaying your Blenko bottles or your woodblock prints, take heed: empty space around your display will lend a visual buffer that enhances the impact of your curated collectibles.

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