Another Framing Method
I was reading another blog the other day and a discussion was going on concerning marketing. Well, I’m sure that everyone has different views on marketing but that is for another time. This discussion did get me thinking about the business side of art. I know artist that think the business end is selling your soul, that art needs to stay about base things such as that. Well, maybe I’m a little too old and a little too tired to think that way. When I was right out of college, I could work at a job all day, come home and paint for hours, and maybe even have time to go out and socialize and party.
After working various jobs for the income, raising 2 daughters, building additions on 2 houses, 26 years of marriage, and still painting, I just don’t have the energy. The idea of doing what I like, painting, and doing the kinds of paintings that I like in a style that I enjoy, and getting paid for it and actually earning a decent living from it sounds mighty good to me. My wife likes the idea, too.
Every Friday morning I meet a friend at McDonald’s for breakfast. He is an engineer by education and temperament and a businessman and entrepreneur by necessity. By that I mean he has a Master’s degree, lots of skills and experience, and in the last 2 years has sent out 350 resumes and still cannot locate a job. A big part of the problem is he has a master’s degree, lots of experience, but he’s over 50! So we discuss ways to take over the world (if you’ve ever seen the cartoon Pinky and the Brain you’d know what I mean).
He has taught me a lot about business in the last few years. You’re not in business to make money but to make a profit being one of the more important things. Profit is not a dirty word or a terrible thing unless you stop being fair, ethical, and honest. So, if I can get my materials at a lower price and still sell my paintings at the same price then tah-dah, I’ve made a better profit! This is a big reason why I not only do my own framing but also make my own frames. It also doesn’t hurt that I get what I want when I want it.
So, this framing method was pretty simple. The painting is an oil pastel that was done on prepared paper. Because it is fairly small, 10” X 12.5”, and the colors are strong and dark in areas; I wanted a border of white around it. One solution would be to frame the piece with a mat and acid free backing and put it in a frame with acrylic glazing. I went with Plan B. Using an archival adhesive, I mounted the painting to a piece of hardwood plywood that had been sealed, trimmed it to size and painted the edges black. I then took a piece of hardboard panel and primed it both front and back (this equalizes the tension on both sides and helps to prevent any warping). I used 3 coats of primer on the front then sanded it lightly using 100 grit sandpaper. I then applied 3 coats of the finish paint using a foam roller to give the surface a very subtle texture. The outer frame is made from scrap that I had from another project. The painting panel was then mounted to the larger backing panel using adhesive silicon caulking. This holds the art firmly in place but it can easily be removed at a later date if so desired. I get a similar result to matting the piece but it cost me less to make so I have a higher profit. Plus there is no glazing between the viewer and the art.
After working various jobs for the income, raising 2 daughters, building additions on 2 houses, 26 years of marriage, and still painting, I just don’t have the energy. The idea of doing what I like, painting, and doing the kinds of paintings that I like in a style that I enjoy, and getting paid for it and actually earning a decent living from it sounds mighty good to me. My wife likes the idea, too.
Every Friday morning I meet a friend at McDonald’s for breakfast. He is an engineer by education and temperament and a businessman and entrepreneur by necessity. By that I mean he has a Master’s degree, lots of skills and experience, and in the last 2 years has sent out 350 resumes and still cannot locate a job. A big part of the problem is he has a master’s degree, lots of experience, but he’s over 50! So we discuss ways to take over the world (if you’ve ever seen the cartoon Pinky and the Brain you’d know what I mean).
He has taught me a lot about business in the last few years. You’re not in business to make money but to make a profit being one of the more important things. Profit is not a dirty word or a terrible thing unless you stop being fair, ethical, and honest. So, if I can get my materials at a lower price and still sell my paintings at the same price then tah-dah, I’ve made a better profit! This is a big reason why I not only do my own framing but also make my own frames. It also doesn’t hurt that I get what I want when I want it.
So, this framing method was pretty simple. The painting is an oil pastel that was done on prepared paper. Because it is fairly small, 10” X 12.5”, and the colors are strong and dark in areas; I wanted a border of white around it. One solution would be to frame the piece with a mat and acid free backing and put it in a frame with acrylic glazing. I went with Plan B. Using an archival adhesive, I mounted the painting to a piece of hardwood plywood that had been sealed, trimmed it to size and painted the edges black. I then took a piece of hardboard panel and primed it both front and back (this equalizes the tension on both sides and helps to prevent any warping). I used 3 coats of primer on the front then sanded it lightly using 100 grit sandpaper. I then applied 3 coats of the finish paint using a foam roller to give the surface a very subtle texture. The outer frame is made from scrap that I had from another project. The painting panel was then mounted to the larger backing panel using adhesive silicon caulking. This holds the art firmly in place but it can easily be removed at a later date if so desired. I get a similar result to matting the piece but it cost me less to make so I have a higher profit. Plus there is no glazing between the viewer and the art.
posted by Ed Maskevich at 6:17 PM
3 Comments:
That looks great and ingenious!
Hi Ed, This looks like an interesting solution to framing works on paper. I will keep in it mind as I have done some oil washes on paper and am a bit overwhelmed with the thought of framing them. Course I don't plan on doing so much of the prep :-)
Other adhesives that can be used are acrylic medium or varnish or modeling paste. They are all archival and permanent. I have a friend who is a plein aire painter and she uses acrylic medium to glue canvas down to masonite panels to take into the field with her.
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