There's Frames And There's FRAMING!

How often do folks get a nice photo and rush to Wal-mart to try and fit it into a frame sans mat (Wal-mart used to sell pre-cut mats, but don’t anymore, probably because folks didn’t realize how important a mat is.)  Eventually the photo either sticks to the glass or fades from exposure to light. 

Pitt Street, Bedford, PA-by Kevin Kutz

Frames aren’t just nice.  They are essential!  To properly display your art or needlework it needs a frame.  Depending on your tastes and home decòr, you will want a wooden frame that compliments and enhances your taste and space.  Wood that is craved and stained is so beautiful and lasting.  Wooden frames can be repaired.  Plastic or imitation wood cannot.  Most of all, the frame holds the picture like your arms hold the love of your life.

Then there is the mat.  Matting not only helps to draw attention to the colors in your art or needlework, it says that you care.  You care that your art enhances your home; you care that your art will not be damaged; you care that the photo will not stick to the glass.

Unconsciously how you frame your art is sending a message to all who enter your abode.  That message should be that “I do things the right way.” And by the way, often folks are not sure where to best display their art and how to hang it.  We specialize not only in framing but in helping you hang and light your art work perfectly.

Glass and Framing

The glass on the left is museum glass
and almost invisible!

 Though glass has been around for a long time, all glass is not created equal.  The earliest records mention glass being produced in Mesopotamia around 3,500 BC, about the same time that Job 37:18 was written, the oldest book in the Bible.

The word “glass” was coined by the Romans during the 1st Century, and slowly the uses and techniques for producing glass have increased exponentially from then until today.

Certainly when framing a photo or print, glass is an important consideration, particularly if you are going to have your treasure custom framed.  When you bring your photo, print, needlework, or object into to our framing shoppe, helping you choose the right colors and styles for your mat and frame is important.  Most importantly is choosing the right glass!

The example in our shoppe of reflective glass on the left
and non-reflective on the right!  Big difference!

Glass?  You mean choose a frosted glass (non-glare), or regular glass?  No, in order to preserve, protect and get the most out of your artwork or memories, you have several choices to make regarding the glass.  And with a little knowledge and the assistance from our expert framers, you may select the right glass for your project.

The very fact that you are having your item framed indicates its value, and the desire to preserve that for years to come.  However, perhaps you will display your piece in a very bright room opposite or near a window or lamp.  Then reflection will play a part in choosing a glass with reflection control.  In the past low-tech “non-glare” was produced.  Now reflection control employs minute etching that eliminates reflection but does not compromise clarity.

Conservation glass on the left and
regular on the right allows the fading.

Of late we have all heard of the dangers of UV light to our skin, eyes, and really any organic matter, which when exposed to light breaks down.  This is particularly visible in the fading colors of a photo or print, and yellowing of other materials.  Once breakdown has begun, the effects are irreversible.  

The best protection against fading or yellowing is to use conservation or museum glass, the highest quality glass available.  Museum glass effectively blocks 97% of UV danger, protecting your colors and images for years to come.  Also do not hang your art in direct sunlight or spotlight it with fluorescent light.  We can also provide you with excellent lighting suggestions—another whole blog to come!

Actually, the single most important step to take in protecting your framed artwork, is choosing the right glass.

Framing Photographs

Some of life’s most precious memories are captured in our photos—birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and unplanned special moments that we snap on a whim.  More often than not, we either leave the photos on our computers, or print them off and stick them in a frame from the local department store.

While that treatment is OK for some photos, your truly special ones, those that can be passed on to the next generation, deserve so much more.  That’s where custom framing comes in! 

“The nature of the beast!”  The very nature of your photograph determines how it should be framed—photos printed on Kodak paper, digital photo paper, or antique photos.  

All photos, no matter how produced, should be matted.  The mat is not only decorative and enhances the picture, but it ensures that the photo does not touch the glass.  If it does touch, temperature and humidity can cause the photo to stick to the glass, and potentially ruin the image.  An acid-free, artboard (mat), will protect your photo.

Truly, the most damage done to every photograph is fading from exposure to light.  Over time light causes the photo to fade, and sadly that is irreparable. Custom framing allows you to choose conservation glass that prevents any deterioration from light.

Framing your photograph not only protects your photo, but can bring back special memories from that occasion by adding an extra element to the framing, like shadowboxing the photo along with another object, layered matting, or giclèe treatment.  

In shadowboxing, you can place a graduation photo next to an honor pin or mortarboard tassel.  Or you can incorporate a dance recital photo with the actual ballet shoes.  You can even frame a special plate or bowl, or almost any object to prevent damage and dust from spoiling your treasure.  

Finally, how often have you picked up a photo or object and wondered what the story is behind it, who is that, where was it taken?  If you or someone has typed up the history of the photo, it can be placed in a specially constructed pocket that is mounted on the “dust cover” paper on the back of the frame, thus providing immediate access for all generations to the memories surrounding the painting, photo, or object.

In another blog, we will talk about the giclèe process, which makes the most wonderful preservation and gift out of your photograph.

How important is framing and matting?

Your frame is not just a way to hang your art on a wall!  Your frame. . .

• completes your artwork!  Without a frame, your artwork "floats" and appears unfinished   Like a sentence without a period.

• enhances your artwork!  Matting places the artwork inside the frame, and can either bring out the colors in the artwork or coordinate with your home décor.

• protects your artwork!  Especially if glass is involved, conservation glass can protect photos and watercolors from fading.