(Article courtesy of FINELIVING.com)
A great frame can be the key to properly showcasing your cherished artwork, photographs, or prints. For an even more elegant, professional look, you'll want both a frame and a matte. But how should you go about choosing a matte that will bring out the best in your art? Pasadena's James Mayberger has owned and operated Frames by Mayberger since 1997, and he specializes in the conservation framing of fine art. According to Mayberger, the right high-quality matte can turn a print into a masterpiece. Since the matte is what sets the frame apart from the art, it's a good idea to choose the right matte for your piece even before you start looking at frames. He offers these tips to get you started:
- Avoid stark white.
Mayberger claims that a stark white matte is almost never the right choice. A white matte tends to flatten the image and darken the colors of the artwork, so it's much better to choose a shade of off-white. - Choices for warm art.
If your artwork or photograph is warm in tone and appearance, you'll want to use mattes in shades of the brown, red and yellow family. - Choices for cool art.
If the piece has a cool tones, with a predominance of colors like blue, green, blue-black, and white, then you'll want to stick with mattes that have a cooler appearance, such as silver.
For more information about matting and framing, check out the following organizations and websites:
The Library of Congress Guide to Preservation Matting and Framing
www.loc.gov
The Art & Framing Headquarters
A centralized resource or for people who have an interest in the art and picture framing industry.
www.artframing.com
Professional Picture Framers Association
4305 Sarellen Road Richmond, Virginia 23231
1-800-556-6228
www.ppfa.com
Art & Framing Council
20715 Driftwood Court, Mundelein, IL 60060-3321
847-566-1722
www.artandframingcouncil.org
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