Blog

When we bring paintings to the US, most of the time they’re unframed. So you can imagine we do lots of framing. These are a few things we think about when framing and thought you might find them useful.

For aesthetics, you should choose what pleases you. Having said that, consider the following 10 things for your next framing project.

1. Avoid framing art to match a room in your house. Instead, choose a frame and mat that enhances the artwork (a mat is a thin, flat piece of paper-based material included within a picture frame, which serves as decoration and separates the art from the glass).
2. Avoid frames that overwhelms the artwork. Remember, the artwork is the star, the mat & framing are supporting players.
3. Choose contemporary frames (i.e. simple, plain, flat) for modern paintings.
4. Choose the right frame color:
   • paintings with predominantly warm colors like red, choose a gold frames
     
   • black and white drawings, choose black or silver frames
   • light-colored paintings, choose a light natural wood or stained frames
   • paintings predominantly blue, lilac, white and other cold colors, choose silver frames
5. Choose a modern frame if you have a contemporary styled interior. This is for those of you who didn’t follow guideline #1.
6. Paintings on canvas are framed without glass.
7. Paintings on paper are usually put behind glass for protection. But never place the artwork directly against the glass. Protect it with a mat (aka mount). Top and sides of the mat are equal width, with the bottom slightly deeper (personal preference).
8. Consider a wide (3-4 inches) acid free and archival mat.
9. Choose a neutral color mat (we like ivory).
10. For hanging hardware, choose a wire.
    

Once you have your framed painting, remember most artworks are designed to be viewed at eye-level.

If you live in the greater Boston area, we do all our framing at Framer’s Workshop. They do good quality work. Just remember to printout their coupon from their website, so you get 15% off.

Hope you’ve found this list useful. All this may seem overwhelming, because there is a lot to know about framing artwork. So please feel free to ask us if you have questions.