All of us have a passion to paint the beauty we see, and try
to capture that beauty on our choice of pastel paper. But just painting a scene that moved us or
scene we created is half of the job.
Properly framing the work so that it draws the viewer to the piece is as
important as getting the values right when one is painting it. When we take all that time to paint that scene
we hope will get the notice of the judge, or will satisfy a client, we must be
sure that the framed painting is going to last by being properly framed. I have been amazed at how poorly framed some
of the paintings are at art shows, and how little care was taken with this
important part of the presentation. Some
poorly framed pieces come apart in shipping and the painting can be damaged or
destroyed. Improper matting, or a gaudy
frame, will take away from the painting and cause the judge and other viewers
to keep walking by.
Framing can be expensive if you have a professional do that
portion of the presentation for you. A
good framer can be provide guidance with the correct mat, or making a decision
to use no mat at all. The service of a
professional can more than triple the price of framing. The price of
commercially purchased frames in retail art stores is just one chunk out of
your art budget, and the costs of mats, the type of glass and proper backing
keep the sales clerk pushing buttons on the register tabulating all the costs
to complete the framing and putting hooks and wire on the back so it can be
hung. The final bill gives one a gasp of
shock, because it just ate most of your art budget for the next two months.
If you are going to make the decision to frame your own
work, then I encourage you to attend a workshop on framing or buy a book on framing
that gives you some fall back information.
The first step in framing is to take the time to select nice quality
simple frames to show you care and value your pastel painting. Hopefully before you get started framing, you
can take the pastel outside and gently spank the back to allow any loose pastel
to fall off harmlessly, rather than doing that in the frame. If you are not going to mat the painting and
you did not use a pre-mounted paper, make sure it is properly mounted on a
piece of acid free foam core with Lineco acid free linen tape or some other
brand. Use a proper art spacer to space your painting away from the glass so
that pastel dust is not drawn to the glass by static electricity.
If you are going to mat your pastel painting, be sure to mat
it with neutral matting that does not draw ones eye away from the
painting. Most rag mats are acid free. I have used accent mats but found that the
color of that accent mat may be the one thing that makes a prospective buyer
decide that it will not fit in with their color scheme. Lately I have been framing with double white
mats with a spacer mat in between. The
spacer creates more distance from the glass and also allows pastel dust that
decides to come loose to have a place to go without piling up on the edge of
the bevel of the mat.
Once my piece is mounted and properly matted, with the mats
secured at the top with acid free tape so they will not move, I carefully place
the painting in its frame. A lot of
store bought frames come with a back board made of thin Masonite. I will use
this and secure it firmly in place with framing inserts. Sometimes the ones that are there can be bent
back when the backing is removed and cardboard taken out and then pushed flat
once the painting and mats are put in place.
Once the painting is tightly secured, it should be sealed with an
adhesive framing tape that seals the air gap between the picture back and the
frame. This way no bugs or moisture can
migrate into your pastel painting.
You are almost done, but now must attach flat eye straps
that can be screwed into the frame to attach the hanging wire. I use a plastic coated wire and provide
plenty of extra wire twisted together at both ends and secured with tape so that
people hanging the painting do not get poked.
Lastly I put a piece of paper on the back that gives the
tile of the painting, the catalog number and where it was painted as well as my
name and signature. Now you have a
quality piece of art, properly mounted and displayed that can be hung in a
gallery anywhere to attract new clients. Now get back to painting!
Paul Harman
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