Angela Sharkey, hand-painted in oils

Why Angela Sharkey

Colour this bold needs wall space and daylight to behave itself

High-key palettes read as cheerful in an open room and as noisy in a tight one, and the difference is mostly breathing space.

People usually fall for one of these on a screen, where every colour sits at the same brightness. In a room it behaves differently. The corals and turquoises lift under north light and go slightly chalky under warm globes, and the thick paint throws small shadows that change through the day. That movement is the whole appeal of an oil version, but it means you should think about which wall gets the afternoon sun before you commit.

Give the work at least 200mm of clear wall on either side; these compositions run to the edge and look cramped when they are boxed in by shelving or a door frame. Over a three-seater, go 120 to 150cm wide rather than hedging at 90. Hang the centre near 145cm from the floor. A slim black or raw oak float frame suits them; heavy ornate gold fights the palette and flattens it.

How your painting is made

1. Choose the size and finishSeven standard sizes from 60 × 50cm to 200 × 135cm. Stretched ready to hang, rolled, or one of our frames. The size guide on every painting shows it to scale.
2. Painted to order, by handA university-trained artist paints your piece in oils on canvas, working from the original. Two to three weeks at the easel, then drying time.
3. Stretched, framed, checkedGallery-wrapped or framed in our workshop, then photographed and checked before it leaves.
4. Delivered free, Australia-wideMade to order in 21 to 28 days, then tracked to your door. Thirty-day money-back guarantee if it isn't what you hoped.