Framing Thoughts

Have you ever noticed that the essential things tend to be taken for granted? From things integral to our physical survival, like water, to things upon which our lifestyle depends, like petroleum - until they're endangered or gone, we don't generally think about them.




Framing is critical to the structural success of many things - yet who thinks about it? If the building in which you live is sound, you're not likely to ponder its underlying framework.



Likewise, if a piece of art is pleasing, it is easy to overlook the frame. A good frame enhances art without distracting from it, so, like a building frame, it is designed to strengthen and blend with the whole.



But without a frame, many artworks are no more complete than a pile of raw lumber - and equally vulnerable to damage. Many a fine work of art has been irreparably marred by a splash of water, or a smear of soot.



Most people have seen the rows of inexpensive frames in large stores - sized to fit standard photo or document dimensions, they are quick and easy to use.



But - if you compare off-the-rack frames with those used by most artists, you will soon discover a different order of creation.



Every artist I know who works in two dimensions gives serious thought and, usually, serious money to framing their work. Even if a piece is of standard measurements, a pre-made frame is seldom appropriate.



Issues arise of both presentation and conservation.



Generally, inexpensive frames look - well, cheap. Often they are poorly made, and prone to cracking and warping. Also, they tend to have standard glass, which reflects so as to impair one's view of an artwork. Further, they are guaranteed NOT to be archival.



Substandard framing diminishes fine art. The alternative? Pay a professional for custom framing, or learn to frame things yourself.



At my shop in Saranac Lake, people often ask if I can frame their work for them. I cannot; I have neither the materials nor the expertise. Really good framing requires both, and both are expensive.



In galleries, studios, and exhibition spaces across the North Country, the works you see on the walls have most likely been framed with careful thought, attention to detail, and expert technique.



As I pointed out yesterday, art in the North Country is ridiculously affordable when compared to other areas. Consider, now, that often half the purchase price of a piece is just the cost of its framing.


Though it is natural to take good framing for granted, don't. Look closely, and be glad.