Cohesive framing?

[Michele Rushworth]

I'd suggest you might want to keep three things in mind as you frame pieces for a show: they need to look like they are all of a high quality (not necessarily BE expensive, they just need to look like it!), they need to go well together as a group, they should be simple and classic enough in style that any client could envision them in their home.

I would get the very best frames you can afford and avoid the metal ones completely. Presentation is everything. I really mean that. A great frame can make a so-so painting look terrific and a bad frame can make a terrific painting look really crummy.

Check out www.jfmenterprises.net for some good quality standard size frames for paintings at great prices. You need to have a tax I.D./wholesale number to get access to their price list but as a professional you should have one of those already anyway.

[Sharon Knettell]

Lacey,

I have invested in a good canvas stretcher and taught myself to do my own gallery wraps.

It takes a bit of doing but you can ALWAYS hang it in a pinch or have what is called a float frame placed on the outside. They are relatively cheap, but quit effective. Both these approaches are quite contemporary so consider if they will work for your pieces. I don't mind some of my more flora-dora ones framed simply; as a matter of fact, most of my large pastels, ribbons, bows and all are framed in plexi boxes.

I have had frame companies send me catalogues with this kind of frame in it, they are probably available on the net as well.

Just a quick note, make sure your wrapped sides are thick, about 1 and 3/4' is good.

[Lacey Lewis]

Hi Sharon!

Yes, I gallery wrap all of my canvases. But, some are the deeper gallery wrap style, others are the standard depth, and then some are pastels. It's really tough to decide on frames that will all go together!

A few I think would look great in floater frames, and I painted the edges of these canvases black in anticipation of doing so. But then I worry that they will seem very out of place next to something framed much differently. I may need to stick with floater frames and plain wood 'gallery' frames.

I'm still going back and forth here, but I need to decide very soon because I just got a call this morning and 2 libraries would like to hang my work ASAP!