Framing Issues

[Clair Dunn]

Advice/help needed.
I'm looking into framing canvas boards and would like to hear from someone who's done this. I'm interested in ideas about matting (if they can be) or just framed as is. I'm particularly curious about any kind of frame that would let them be shown whole (edge to edge) with the wood part of the frame just next to the edges and not on top of. (Hope this is clear enough!!)
Thanks much for any forthcoming help.
Clair

[Donald Kennedy]

Dear Clair, I owned & operated a frame shop o 10 th street in NYC and worked for Orin Riley head conservator @ the Guggenheim Museum so I think that I can help you. Canvas boards shouldn't be matted fabric liners should be used, since they have lips to insert the board. First, the art work, Second, the liner, Third, the frame. The next question is whether you want glass, no glass or plastic to cover the art work or liner & artwork? Some frames have the look of liners without the added expense of an actual liner. If the art work is oil or acrylic glass or plexiglas isn't needed. Go to pictureframes .com and you can go through the whole framing process and if you up load an image you can see what the finished product will look like before you by the product. The sales people are very nice if you want to talk with a real person (800-221-0262). I hope that this was helpful, if not, ask more questions and I'll give more answers which you may or may not like (joke) All the best framing, is a thankless job. Donald

[Clair Dunn]

Donald -- Thanks much for your reply. And, I now realize I didn't provide enough information. And I've also been thinking about it more since I wrote my question. My question was prompted by the fact that I'm interested in having the whole of the canvas board showing. (If that didn't matter to me, I wouldn't have the question! lol) I do know that I wouldn't need glass.

The "linen liner" is new to me and the pictures on the the pictureframes site didn't really give me an idea of what it looked like. But, I did come up with the idea that I could fix the canvas board to a slightly smaller piece of wood (maybe 1/8-1/4 inch thick) and then fix that to some kind of panel that would fit normally into a larger frame and the work would sort of float in the middle of the frame.

Thanks again, and I'll be chewing on this for a while!

[Michael Lownie]

You could no doubt have the canvas board "floated" on another backing board, leaving how ever much space you want between the canvas and frame. One consideration would be the depth of the frame; you'll want it deep enough so the canvas board is well inside, not sticking out at frame level. That's the only thing i can think of off hand.
Get what I mean?

[Clair Dunn]

Yup. I do Michael -- thanks! And, as a matter of fact, I found a couple of "deep" frames yesterday at a garage sale. Talk about timing!

[Michael Lownie]

:)
Great!

[James MacMahon]

Have you heard of a floating frame? With this type of framing the work appears to float and not be attached to the frame. Do not matt. Framing is expensive so I make my own frames.