Custom Framing
Welcome to our framing section, here we will educate you on the various aspects of framing. Now most people know well enough that prints, posters, and canvas are the most common in the framing world. But did you know that it doesn’t have to stop there here are a few examples of what can be done with almost anything, because we as people are not limited to two dimensions, so why should it be denied?
The first piece you will see is actually a golf club cover, originally belonging to our customers grandfather. As you can see we used a shadow mat with tip-on/float.
Next you will see a wood carving from Egypt, but because of the depth of the carving it was much too big to comfortably fit in a frame with glass, so the glass was excluded from this framing order.
These are just some examples to give you a better range of options in which you can choose. Now let’s go onto the practical side of framing. The St. Germain staff are here to act as a guide so that everything is safe and aesthetically pleasing there are a lot of businesses out there who will do what you want without a word but what they don’t tell you what will happen in one, two, or three years. The outcome is important to us and when a customer asks for something that is considered a hazard, we will notify them of the possibility of damage and/or injury of art/owner. We are not here to re-frame the same pictures over and over again! We are here to give you durability and continuity. As our moto goes “we frame it once and only once!”
This so you can have a better piece of mind knowing that nothing involving the framing will cause damage to your piece.
ACID DAMAGE
One cause is acidic damage which is most common of all damage, but not permanent if you view our Restoration page will give you a summary of the process in the removal of acidic damage. But why repair, when you can prevent by simply choosing the proper materials.
A perfect example of what and why acidic damage occurs in framing is non-acid free matting which isn’t dissimilar to something common, say a newspaper.
Here is a question for you what happens to a newspaper after a while? It starts to yellow right. Well that is a perfect example of what acidic damage is! The acid within the many materials such as: Non-acid free mats, cardboard, millboard, wood, and a variety of tapes. What happens is the acid in these materials seeps out and into your art causing it to change colour and yellow it has been described similar to cancer(scary). The best way to prevent this is simple choose acid-free matting and acid-free backs, also make sure that the framer is using acid-free tapes to “hinge” your art (if applicable).
LIGHT
Next is the other enemy of art, light!, and not just sun light but any direct light that touches the art, now don’t run and hide it in the dark, it is after all a gradual process, but none the less hurtful. We also offer a wide range of glass to accommodate you with. For the sunny room or the well lite hallway.
The types of glass are: Regular glass, Non-glare glass, UV regular glass, Den glass and UV den glass. Now when it comes to choosing your glass don’t just take the lighting of your home into consideration, but also your “framable”, whether it is an impressionistic piece or a photograph or your first pair of little booties there are variables to think about when the right type of glass is chosen.
The physical aspects of the glass goes as follows:
Regular glass- large amount of reflection, clear, very similar to the windows in your home, with a greyish hue throughout.32% ultraviolet ray protection.
Non-Glare glass- tones are the same as Regular glass, but there is no reflection and it has a frosting over it that gives off this fuzzy look. 32% ultraviolet ray protection.
UV Regular glass- looks exactly like Regular glass, but with a UV film overtop to protect up to 98.9 percent from ultraviolet rays.
Den glass- extremely clear shows the actual colours of whatever it is framed with, greatly reduced reflection and 65% ultra violet protection.
UV Den glass- exactly the same as Den glass but with ultraviolet protection of 98.9%.
Here is an example on how to differentiate which is glass is best for your “framable” if you have an impressionistic print or painting(paper only, canvasses should never be put under glass it causes molding and cracking if air is not allowed to circulate, if a framer suggests that your canvas should be under glass that person is just trying to make more money and that is the only motivation) it is not advisable to put that impressionistic picture under Non-Glare glass because of the fuzzy disposition. Impressionistic pictures are fuzzy and if you put fuzzy on fuzzy then what do you get? More fuzz.
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DESIGN OPTIONS
Next is the different types of design to suit your style and the “framable” here are some different designs to get your mind in motion.
There are many different options for framing and there is always new and innovative ideas being developed, no matter what the situation we are up for the challenge.
We hope that this has been an enjoyable and educational visit. Hope to see you soon.
Sincerely
St. Germain Gallery