1.Where to hang your painting.
Paints are created using a variety of pigments. Some of them are natural pigments that naturally are susceptible to change depending upon the environment that they ‘live’ in so it is best to try to hang your paintings in places where they will be exposed to the most stable environment possible. It is not ideal to hang a painting over a radiator, fireplace or other source of heat. Try not to hang a painting on a wall that received direct sunlight (the worst case is a wall where only half the picture sits in direct sunlight as half the painting will fade a to different rate to the other half!), Usually paintings (and most prints) will not show signs of fade for at least 70 years but it is bet to be on the safe side.
Of course everybody has walls that are above radiators, fireplaces and in sunlight and unless you want to look at a bare wall you will want to have some king of picture or painting hanging there. When hanging your collection you should bear the position in mind and hang your least valuable/favourite paintings in these locations. In reality any damage is likely to go unnoticed for many years and especially in the case of an inexpensive print the pleasure that looking at it gives you will be more than enough to compensate for the fact that in 70 years of so it may look a little stretched or faded!

2.Humid Environments.
A bathroom of kitchen is not an idea environment for hanging paintings. The humid atmosphere and in a kitchen food and fat molecules caused by cooking can have a bad effect on canvas. Especially gallery wrapped canvas with no glass to protect it. Everybody likes to have art in their bathroom or kitchen so as with a wall with a radiator etc. it is best to hang ‘disposable’ works of art in these sorts of environments.
3.Handling your Artwork.
Try not to touch your new painting too much. Touching something delicate like a pastel of watercolour artwork is never good – the natural grease on (even the best washed) fingers will transfer to the art surface and leave a print with may not show up at first but years later may start to become visible. An acrylic is more robust but even so should not really e touched if you can help it.
A stretched canvas should be handled and placed with care. Always try to place a canvas painting on a level surface with nothing poking the canvas from behind. Even left for 5 minutes something poking the canvas can leave a stretch mark that could be there for ever.
I hope that this guide has been of some use – do not be afraid of original art. If you like a painting then buy it. If it is not too expensive hang it where you want (If your art is slightly more expensive just hang it in a place with a more stable environment.) but most importantly of all enjoy it, look at it every day and be pleased you bought it after all, that is what the artist painted it for.

Storage Conditions – The most common damages to oil paintings are caused by inappropriate storage conditions. Remember extreme humidity, cold, or heat are potential hazards for your painting.
Your living space, where you and your family spend time on a regular basis, will usually be perfectly suitable to keep your painting. Just make sure the painting is not positioned near a direct source of heat, damp or draft. The optimum ambient temperature for oil paintings is around 20⁰ Celsius depending on small seasonal changes.
Hanging an oil painting above the fire place is perfectly secure.