AboutSara Tro Expertise I am a professional custom picture framer and designer. I have experience in all areas of
picture framing, and own my own custom framing shop. I can answer questions relating
to the design of a piece, the preservation of the artwork, color theory, photograph
restoration, decor, art placement, room balancing and installation questions.
Experience I have owned my own retail custom frame shop for 5 years, and managed a high-end shop before that for 5.5 years. I worked for a professional restorer and archivist for 8 months prior to the management position. I am also a fine artist myself, with a BFA in Photography and Printmaking, and have been framing my own work for years and years.
Education/Credentials BFA Fine Arts, NYSCC at Alfred University, NY
Expert: Sara Tro Date: 11/11/2007 Subject: pastel paintings
Question Glass is heavy and breaks. Acrylic is full of static electricity which pulls pastel dust to it. Do you have any other suggestions for glazing pastel paintings?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Donna
Answer hi donna,
that is a really good question, and one that has caused a lot of debates between framers over the years!
well, it seems you already have a lot of good information about this issue, and I'm not sure I can tell you anything you haven't mentioned here... The main delema in this issue is that if you don't use glass (which while it can break and is heavy, does protect the art from many things, ie UV light, dust, moisture, bugs), and don't use plexi for the static reason, (which is a framing no-no in my opinion.. Using plexi on pastels, that is), then you have no other glazing options, and run the risk of the piece getting warped or sun damaged, or invested with fly droppings etc.
SO, as I have pretty much told you nothing new so far, (haha), I will try to give you my humble framers opinion to help you frame this piece..
You spoke of the weight of glass being an issue..
If a frame is supportive enough, the glass should be no problem, eventhough its heavy. If your walls are lathe & plaster, then you'd need a pro or some good install tools to hang a large heavy piece, but it can be done. If you are installing the piece over your bed, have young kids, or live in an earthquake prone area, youd have more reason to worry about those things. As for the plexi issue, i have never really recommended it on pastel work, for the static reason you mentioned, but I have seen some framers actually place the pastel art right smack up against the plexi when framing large artwork that can't have glass. They make plexi larger than glass, for obvious reasons, so sometimes its the only option. Plexi also contains no lead, as glass does (for clarity), so it won't draw moisture from the air and trap it inside the frame package, as glass would if the art was right against the glass. I know some people have good luck with this method, as I guess the lack of distance between the art and the plexi makes the static less of an issue, especially if the piece us very well fixed with a good quality archival fixative, the piece against plexi method us my only other option to give you. If the piece is not too big for a piece of UV glass, I'd go with that to be safe, and then pick a moulding that can either support the glass itself, or one that can house a strainer support in the back to attach hardware to. I have framed some unfixed pastels with a raised matt, cut reversed so pastel dust doesn't settle on the bevel, and then framed with glass. This allows the dust that will fall from the piece to fall behind the matting, which keeps it looking good longer.
So, that's my $.02; if its HUGE, and spray fixed, try the art against plexi method.. No matt, no spacers. If its not huge, go for the glass, (museum glass, if its in the budget, makes a beautiful pastel really stand out, as it let's you see the gorgeous texture of pastel work).. You could consider risking not glazing the piece at all, but I see that as more problematic in the long run, especially on a large piece.
Oh, and one more thing... Plexi glas looses its static over time, so if you decide to put the art right against it, you could rest a little easier as time goes on.
I hope this helps a little... Hope I didn't just give you info you already had..
So sorry you're faced with this issue! Its a big one!
best of luck with it!
sara
