Frames

The Frames along with its mounts protects and often makes the art look better. Art work framed well will stay in good condition for a long period of time. Joan Miro once did a work specifically to frame with a flea market frame. Many painters and photographers who work with canvas gallery wrap their artwork, a practice wherein the image extends around the edges of the stretched canvas and therefore precludes use of a traditional picture frame, although a floater frame may be used. As picture frames can be expensive when purchased new, some people remove the pictures from a frame and use the frame for other pictures.

The pictures Frames may contain a pane of picture framing glass or an acrylic glass substitute such as acrylite or plexiglas to protect the picture. In some instances where the art in the frame is dispensable or durable, no protection may be necessary. Glass is common over watercolors and other artwork on paper, but rare over oil paintings, except very valuable ones in some museums. Picture framing glass may be treated with anti-reflective coatings to make the glass virtually invisible under certain lighting conditions. When a picture frame is expected to be exposed to direct sunlight, or harsh lighting conditions such as fluorescent lights, UV filtering may be added to slow down the photocatalytic degradation of organic materials behind picture framing glass.

Picture Frames have traditionally been made of wood, which is still the most common material, although other materials are used including silver, bronze, aluminum, and plastics such as polystyrene. A picture frame may be of any color or texture, but gilding is common, especially on older wooden frames. Some picture frames have elaborate molding which may relate to the subject matter. Complicated older frames are often made of moulded and gilded plaster over a plain wood base. Picture frames come in a variety of profiles, but generally the lengths of moulding feature a lip and rabbet, the function of which is to allow a space to hold in the materials in the frame. The lip extends usually about a quarter of an inch past the edge of the rabbet.

Picture Framing and matting can be an easy, quick process, but also can be a longer, elaborate process as well. Depending on the types of outcomes you’re wanting to achieve, there are a few steps, or many, that you will need to know and follow to obtain the best results. The following sections will present to you all the “in’s and out’s” of picture framing, mat cutting, and more.

The world of picture Framing is changing. Time was if you wanted to frame a picture you were obliged to use a professional. The equipment and materials necessary were the exclusive domain of wholesalers who would only sell to those willing to invest the time and capital to start a picture framing business—and that business was defined as a storefront outfitted with fixtures, encumbered with legal and financial obligations, and saddled with a substantial investment in equipment and materials. For those who wanted to start a small framing business from their home, catering to friends and neighbors with the potential for growth—or for the artist or photographer who needed to frame in a professional manner—or for business people who wanted to add picture framing to an existing business—there was no way in.

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