A Wee Rant About Good and Bad Framing

When we started this blog last year, the intent was to highlight cool projects and show new pieces from our artists.  I never really envisioned this as a vehicle for teaching object lessons, and I promised myself that I wouldn't rant about bad framing...and, I've resisted the temptation for over a year now.  But now, two projects taken in for framing in June have driven me to write a small rant, with an explanation to follow.

The Rant: one of my catch phrases when talking about framing is, "Any idiot can put a frame on a picture, and many do."  The implication here is that it doesn't take really any training or knowledge to smack stuff together and call it framing.  In fact, more than half of the "professional" framers working today have never had any formal training, never attended a trade show or educational seminars, never learned anything from anyone other than the person who originally taught them to frame, be that a parent, a former boss, a book or simply hands-on experience.  Framing isn't rocket science, but there's a right way and a wrong way to do things, and as in many fields, a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.  Our understanding of how artwork reacts with the environment and with items included in the framing package has grown exponentially in the 19+ years I've been framing, and failure to keep abreast of this expanded knowledge base is doing a disservice to one's customer base.  For many things - pieces used as decorative art, like posters, etc. - it technically doesn't matter that the framing package is literally destroying the artwork over time, but for original art and things of sentimental value, you really should do some research and make certain that your framer actually has some formal training.  I could go on here for days, but I'll spare you.  I will show examples of good and poor use of adhesives in subsequent blog posts, but with the 4th of July weekend coming up, I've got to get back to framing!  I'll leave you with a quick photo of Roxie basking in the sun.

Cheers, and Happy Independence Day!