Framing Your Artwork

At Gagliardi Studio & Gallery we offer both framing and photographic services.  You can customize both the mat and frame for each piece of artwork, to create an impact and dimension that you will love. We have a beautiful selection of metal, wood and decorative silver and gold frames.  We also create fabric-wrapped mats. In addition to framing, we also offer frame restoration.  Do you have a wooden frame with pieces chipping off?  Or a frame that has been broken?  We can fix that and reconstruct it so that you may not notice where the flaws were.

 

WHY FRAMING IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR ARTWORK: The primary purpose of framing an artwork is to focus your attention on the framed work of art, creating a unified whole that invites undisturbed contemplation. Framing provides structure for the protection and presentation of artwork as well as enhancing its overall appearance.  Like the setting for a diamond, the frame around a work of art is the finishing- touch, completing and elevating the artwork, and presenting it to the viewer framed in the best light possible.

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Framing is an art in and of itself. Just as a good frame choice can greatly enhance the appearance of a work, a poor frame choice can drastically diminish a framed work.  There are several schools of thought with regard to frame selection but no hard and fast rules regarding the type of frame.  The preferred thinking is that the work of art should direct the selection of the frame. Each work of art is its own universe.  When the frame is selected to be of the greatest benefit to the artwork, the framed piece can be hung anywhere. Don’t fall into the trap of choosing a frame to match others you already have; some of the most stunning groupings of artworks feature pieces in a wide variety of frame styles, sizes and finishes.

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Works on paper—photographs, watercolors, pastels, charcoal drawings and so forth—entail a special set of considerations because of the perishable quality of their surfaces. Prior to framing, the work must be mounted on a support.  Conservation mounting with this type of artwork framing is strongly recommended by our framing service, so that at any time in the future you would be able to remove your artwork from the framing structure without causing any damage to the frame or the artwork.

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Conservation mounting is an imperative for framing artworks of value for future appraisal.  Acid-free corner pockets and acid-free adhesives are used at our framing studio for best conservation of your famed artwork.  As for the support itself, archival foam board creates a sturdy structure for a framed piece on paper and helps protect artwork from pollutants that might find their way through the back of a framed piece.  In addition, most works on paper require matting and framing under glass for protection.  The mat board, with a cutout window, is laid over the art and prevents the glass from touching the surface of the artwork.  Glass type is selected according to the placement, lighting and function of the framed artwork at our gallery.  Matting also contributes to the presentation of the artwork and we work hard to assure your matting helps your framed artwork to maximize its aesthetic effect.

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Many collectors and artists have an eye for selecting the right frame and can make sound decisions with guidance from a professional framer.  Quality framing requires the experienced advice of a framing professional to avoid costly framing mistakes.  At the Gagliardi Studio & Gallery the importance of framing your artwork in the most suitable and visually attractive way is our business.  We take the time to make the right framing selections so that your framed artwork will bring pleasure for generations to come!

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Mat board is an all-important aspect of a perfect framing job.  Matting your piece enhances it and makes it look worthy of a gallery, even if it’s just hanging in your living room.  Mat board not only makes a framed photo or piece of artwork look better but also serves multiple functions within the frame.  We offer high quality mat board in a variety of styles and colors to meet your every framing need.  Mat board is a thin mat usually made of paper, alpha cellulose or cotton that borders the piece you are framing.  Matting can draw the eye toward the display, highlight the piece with a pop of color, offset it with a muted border, and create a luxurious feel for the framed work.  Mat board is measured to fit around the piece, usually with uniform widths on each side of the framed work – although mats can be custom made to any specification. Matting serves more than just aesthetics.  It also helps protect the content of your frame.  Mat board lies on top of the framed work, adding an extra, protective layer between your art or photograph and the glass, which means the glazing will not directly touch the framed piece.  If, for some reason, condensation forms inside the frame glass, mat board may help keep it from transferring to the photograph, document or artwork that is beneath the mat, thereby helping to protect it from damage.  Many types of artwork can deteriorate or be damaged if they touch glass, such as those using chalk, charcoal or oil paint, so the mat provides a buffer between the glass and artwork inside.