About Mark Beach Expertise I can answer any questions about custom picture framing or any one of custom picture framing components, i.e. matting, glass, mounting and wood or metal frames. I can answer questions about proper framing techniques to preserve artwork. I can not answer questions about restoring artwork or the value of artwork.
Experience I have over eleven years experience in custom picture framing and nine years experience managing a frame shop. I have worked in every retail area of custom picture framing.
Education/Credentials I've trained under 3 indiviuals that have more than fifty years of combined expierence. I have attended several PPFA (Profestional Picture Framers Association) certified workshops.
Expert: Mark Beach Date: 2/12/2008 Subject: how to choosepicture frames and mats
Question Besides personal preferences, how do I choose the colors (let's not talk about texture yet at this point)of frames and mats and the materials of frames? Is picking the color scheme in the paintings a rule of thumb to determine what colors of frames and mats I will use? Does the color of a frame need to coordinate any colors in a painting?
I know that it's best to bring paintings into a frame shop, and then I will have professional suggestions from the framer to find proper frames and mats. However, I am trying to cut down the cost of custom framing, because I have a lot of watercolor paintings to be frames. I usually like simpler wood frames of medium to dark tones with most of time beige mats. However, it is safe to choose frames and mats this way, yet it is boring and does not really showcase the paintings. I have seen that a lot of frames and mats are chosen to fit the color scheme of the paintings. That's easy and safe to do too, yet it looks still a little boring to me. I have seen some frames and mats having different tones from the paintings too, such as more jewel tone against more pure tone, and they look great. I am not sure how to go about doing it.
A well chosen frame and mat makes such a difference to highlight a painting, while bad choice degrades it. How to do it? Thanks
Answer Judy,
I hope I can answer this to your satisfaction. I admit that I am having a little trouble discerning exactly what you are asking. Here is how I tend to frame paintings. While yes a beige mat might be boring it is also more neutral and will give your paintings longevity. What I mean is back in the mid to late nineties we framed many landscapes using green and burgundy mats. They looked great, but as people changed their decor the green and burgundy mats no longer worked in their homes. What I have seen lately is that people are going with more neutral mat schemes so that as they change the color of their decor the framing still works. I tend to use a more neutral color as the top mat and spice it up with a bottom mat. The bottom mat will not add a tremendous amount of cost, but the benefit is tremendous. As far as the frame goes; to me the most important aspect is that it has the same feel as the painting. For example if I have a painting of an old European city then I want frame that has a more old world feel to it than a sleek modern look. One last thing about watercolors is that they tend to be lighter in visual weight as opposed to say an oil or acrylic paintings. I think your mats and your frame have to have the same visual weight to them. Sometimes darker colors have more visual weight and don't compliment the artwork as much. Keep that in mind as well as you begin choosing your mats and frames. I hope this will help you some. Thanks for your question. I apologize that it took so long to get back to you.
Thanks,
Mark
