Why You Should Frame Your Art

Most art that you purchase is matted and framed, and this is not only because it makes the art look better, but it protects the art form environmental conditions that can deteriorate your art.  

When you are selling art, a framed and matted piece of art not only looks better, but it has been proven time and time again that it will sell faster and for more money than an unframed one. An unframed piece of art looks unfinished, and in essence, it is unfinished. This means that the person purchasing still has to put out money to frame the piece, instead of being able to take it home and hang it that day.

 Conservation of art is a very important thing to know if you are creating and selling your art work. Moisture, insects, light and heat are just some of the things that can destroy your work.

 Moisture:

 If moisture gets at your art, the potential is that in the presence of iron, the sulphate ions in the paper, or even the atmosphere can combine and create sulphuric acid. This is the same mixture that creates acid rain.  Sulphuric acid will destroy the paper and the artwork.  

It is important keep stored and framed pieces away from excess moisture, iron and pollutants.    

Another thing that can occur with moisture is mould. How many times have you seen a picture that has mould growing on the paper? This is because the relative humidity has gone over 70%, so it is imperative that the art be kept at all times in a non humid area. Mould on the paper is called “foxing:” and discolours the sheet with a dull rust coloured patch.  Mould not only looks bad, but it eats sizing and paper fibres. Another point to remember is that the binding used to make pastels contain the right nutrients for mould to grow easily, and quickly.  

To make sure that your artdoes not get the chance to grow mould, and get foxing on it; there are a few key points to remember. 

Never frame the glass directly on the picture. This is why we matt things, so there is a bit of air circulation. This air circulation nearly almost stops the chance of mould growing on the art. If a mat is not appropriate for the piece, a tiny piece of plastic, wood or rubber placed in the four corners can help with air circulation. It is also important to make sure that the back of the frame has air circulation too, and two small bumpers can be put in the lower corners to keep the frame away from the wall.

 Do not store your pictures in damp basements, and never store them on the floor. Get them off the ground on some type of support.

Clean the frames and the storage areas frequently, as the dust in the air can contain microscopic mould spores. 

Try not to hang the pictures directly on walls that are damp: outside walls, bathrooms, kitchens or laundry rooms.  If you feel a wall with your hand and it is cold, then this is a good warning that this is an inappropriate wall to hang a picture on it, at least without some type of preparation like bumpers.

It is never a good idea to leave a painting in a closed room that has no air circulation. Again, you are only asking for mould problems. 

Lastly, if you do see mould on a painting, all pictures except oil paintings can be fumigated with thymol fumes. Go to your local artist supply store for more information on how to correctly do this.

Framing a piece of art is a personal things, and will always make the painting look better, but you now know that it is not just for aesthetic purposes that the painting should be framed, but to protect it through the years.