From fancy gold leaf to colorful textures, frames are now available in an incredible selection—but how do you choose the right one for your picture?
Narrow mats create a busy target. Don’t be afraid of large mat borders. Don’t try to match room colors exactly...
Conservation Framing (sometimes called Preservation Framing) refers to the materials and techniques used by picture framers to frame valued art and objects to the highest standard...
Professional and semi-professional artists and photographers must effectively market their images. This market is very competitive, and keeping costs down while using quality materials is of prime importance. Be prepared to provide the best possible product at the lowest price.
In the search for presentation of your artwork, sometimes the most obvious and simplest solutions are elusive in the vast array of frame, mat and mounting options.
Next time you are in a gallery, restaurant, or shop, take a look at various matting jobs and compare reveal sizes, colors, and borders. Do they compliment the work? Are they overbearing? Was your eye drawn into the work or out to the mat and frame arrangement?
Determining the difference and making a decision between glass and acrylic glazing or extras like UV-protection and non-glare is often a less obvious choice than many may think. I hope to make the decision a bit clearer and easier!
In these days of mass-produced art purchased at Ikea or Costco, preservation is simply not on the minds of many people when getting something matted and framed — and with good reason; most of the art bought is not expected — nor needed — to last ten years, let alone a hundred.
