The only time I bought art for the locations was after I bought my first sofa and wanted something to go above it in place of a collection of B/W photos I had done in college. Other than that, we have acquired things we love over the years, so our homes have changed - the art remains. Since we buy what we love, it only makes sense to keep it and work it into our home. It is an eclectic collection now. I try to group in rooms by theme, color, intensity, or some unifying factor. You daughter's work is vivid and probably needs only simple framing. With an artist in the family, you may find that you have a more changing collection that most of us. You may want to standardize a classic look for most pieces you hang (like a B/W photo collection) so they can be moved around and grouped or split up easily -- black, dark wood and silver frames seem to go with nearly everything, black or off-white mats. If she is beginning to sell work, pick a look that will appeal to most buyers (seems the pieces I have acquired framed have generally been black or dark wood, simple frames). Over time, you may become so attached to a piece or do something you know will have a special place in your heart and your home. Frame and hang those pieces to bring out the details and colors in that piece and make them special.

So is there a formula? Two thirds the width?

If you are really into finding art to love my husband and I decided a long time ago to go to galleries and art collages meet the artists and only buy pieces we both loved . It made for some really wonderful weekends finding off the beaten track galleries too. We never buy a piece without meeting the artist which has also been something we have found rewarding.

I like both and prefer a mixture of each in a home. In a kitchen, I prefer a large statement piece.