Health Care Fine Art

Common Framing Mistakes

Tim Carroll has years of experience framing art. He meticulously framed many of my prints over the last decade. I asked him to reflect on the most Common Framing Mistakes:

1. Bringing your spouse (or significant other) with you to pick out framing for 'your' artwork.  I often considered getting a marriage counselor's license since I did more of that than recommending double mats.  Too many cooks can definitely spoil the frame job.
   
   
2. Skimping on your frame or other materials to save a couple of dollars.  Often times the difference between a 'Wow!' Framing job and a 'that looks good' fame job, can be only $25.  The most expensive frame is not by any means always the best though.  The point is to try and find what you really like first and then worry about the money or what can be cut back to fit the budget.  A year later you won't think about the cost but you will regret not having done right the first time.


3. Not everything has to match.  Unexpected color and combinations will add excitement to your piece.  When someone shows up with a plaid pillow from their couch or their prized shiatsu and would like to match the matting then you may be in trouble.  No question, you have to take into account the décor of the area that the piece will be in, but keep the focus on the artwork.

Tim and his wife Carrie recently sold their business (Cottonstone Gallery) to Jim Dyke. Olga Dubovtsev will be the taking over Tim's job of doing my framing work. Cottonstone is just a couple blocks away from the Missouri State Capital in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Tim has framed the picture above (Hiller's Creek Panorama_6331) in both canvas and on fine-art paper.

 

Glazing Tips

Jan Marion has had a lot of experience framing jobs for art used in HealthCare. I asked him to write down a few tips on Glazing:

Let's start with a definition of Glazing
glaz·ing, noun
1.panes or sheets of glass or acrylic set or made to be set in frames, as in windows, doors, or mirrors.

In the art world that glazing material will protect a work of art, provide protection from dust and dirt, abrasion , and in some cases ultra violet radiation and glare issues.

All works of art on paper should be protected with glazing.

Typically, an inkjet print on canvas, or an original oil or acrylic painting on canvas does not require glazing, however in some high traffic environments, the added protection is advisable.

Use of glass v. acrylic: there are pro’s and con’s for each.
Glass is twice as heavy as acrylic, so anything above roughly 32” x 40” should be glazed using acrylic.

Use of a very small or fragile frame might require the lighter Acrylic glazing material.
There are many types of “non-glass” glazing options. Acrylic, in sheet form, has the best optical clarity and should be the only choice for the picture framing industry.

Various thicknesses are available: 1/8” should accommodate most projects. 3/16” or ¼” should be used for larger projects, or in situations where sagging could be an issue. (i.e. huge works, or shadow box designs where the Acrylic is not supported by a mat)
Acrylic will scratch easier than glass. Acrylic is available in non-glare, UV-filtering, and abrasion resistance (resists scratches and chemicals).

Non-glare: will eliminate glare but introduces some distortion.
Non-glare is beneficial when designing for nursing homes. Sclerosis of the lenses, cataracts and strokes often lead to vision problems.
To eliminate glare, a non-glare glass or acrylic is important: be mindful that the non-glare finish will dull the colors slightly, so select imagery with brighter colors to offset this factor.

Museum glass: if you want no glare and no distortion either than this is the product for you. In a healthcare application however, this may not be practical.
It may be cost prohibitive, but most importantly it is difficult to work with and not practical to maintain on site.

If budgets are tight?
Glass is less expensive and preferred for its low maintenance properties.
Special (thinner) 2mm glass is also available, but be careful as it can break easier.   

Jan Marion is the owner of H. Marion Framing Studio in Glenview, Illinois.

As a personal aside, I would like to mention the option of not using glazing. I realize that in healthcare settings that this is not an option, but in peoples homes I think it should be considered. In my house we never put glass over my inkjet prints. Even in my gallery exhibitions I have been skipping glass. Not once have I had a print damaged, and since I use archival inks, the UV protection of glass is less important. The key advantage of no glazing is no glare and no optical distortion; and of course it is cheaper...

My wife Lorna likes to say "putting glass in front of a piece of art is like putting a plastic wrap on furniture."

Controlling Framing Costs

When I started to have gallery exhibits of my art I learned quickly about how expensive framing is. Many people spend as much on framing as they do on the art itself.

For suggestions on how to save money on framing I asked Puneet Bhasin for some suggestions. Puneet is of Vice President at Artline, a Contract Framer with offices in New York, Florida, Illinois, and California.

He suggested:

1. Consistent Image sizes.
2. Use a wholesale frame shop.
3. Install it yourself instead of paying for an installation crew.
4. Regular Plexiglas instead of non-glare Plexi.
5. Same molding throughout the facility.

I asked Puneet why consistent image size was important:

“This enables the framers to purchase material pre-cut (i.e. mats, foamcore, and Plexiglas).  By doing so, it keeps the labor cost lower rather than having assorted sizes and having the machines readjusted for different sizes.  Another idea would be to try to use as few molding styles as possible.  This has two advantages: (1) It brings the design together; so all the frames are consistent. (2) It gives buying power to the framer to purchase molding in bulk and save cost for everybody.”

I asked Puneet what misperception people have about wholesale frame shops.

“The most common misperceptions the designers have is that they are saving money by having the framing done locally.  Most local frame shops charge close to double the price Artline offers.”