You might not realize it from the humble confines of Carter Avenue Frame Shop, but a significant portion of our business comes from commercial framing. Whether it’s framing a few award certificates or picking out and installing artwork for the new board room, our commercial framing division can help your business or organization. We have framed thousands of certificates and we have years of experience framing art for public areas and offices. Bring your project to the shop or call Tim for a consultation at your office (651) 645-7862. We specialize in solving your problems, making the process easy for you, and making you look good!

In September 2007, Carter Ave. Frame Shop was named one of the nation’s Top 100 Art & Framing Retailers for the fifth year in a row by Decor Magazine.  We’re proud to be part of this elite group of the “best and brightest” in the framing industry.  We’re especially proud to be one of only six frame shops named all five years this honor has been granted.  We pledge to keep working hard to earn your trust.

[photopress:acceptingaward.jpg,thumb,alignright]Carter Ave. Frame Shop is proud to have been named one of the Top 100 Art & Framing Retailers in the country by DÉCOR Magazine, a leading trade journal, for three years in a row! In addition, Carter Ave. has been named one of only seven frame shops with special honors for 2005. That’s Tim receiving our award in September 2005 at Decor Expo in Atlanta. We are the only Top 100 winner from Minnesota in 2005, and one of only a handful of three-time winners in the country.

As we stumble further into the 21st century, we have to admit that some things were better in the “good old days”. Houses, phone company service and popular music come immediately to mind. However, you can be grateful that conservation framing is definitely not on that list. In fact, it just keeps improving all the time.

We have always been concerned with making your art look its best here at Carter Avenue Frame Shop, but lately we have put more emphasis on making sure that you can enjoy it for a longer time. We want to keep you informed as our industry creates new and better products to preserve your art for generations to come.

MATTING – THERE GOES A “REGULAR”

When you buy a piece of matted artwork from an artist, chances are more than likely that it has been matted with a cheap “regular” wood pulp mat. Even though wood pulp mats will damage your art over time, there is no denying that matted art looks better than unmatted art, even in a cheap mat. Since most artists don’t have unlimited resources, it stands to reason that they would use the least expensive material available for presentation. Let’s face it, the artist is doing you a favor by saving her time and money for the artwork and not buying a top-of-the-line mat. Artists realize that many people change the mat when they frame the art anyway.

Here’s an easy way to distinguish an “archival” mat from a “regular” one. Look at the bevel where the mat has been cut. If the interior of the mat is pure white, odds are that it is an “archival” mat. However, if the bevel is yellow or brown, you’ve got a “regular” wood pulp mat – a mat that will discolor and leave an acid burn on your artwork over time.

In addition to the conservation qualities of archival mats, they also hold their colors much longer than “regular” mats. Recently we had a customer who came in to remat a gray nautical print that, for some inexplicable reason, had been matted in lime green. Well, once we took the print out of the frame, we discovered that the edges of the original mat (which had been protected from fading by the lip of the frame) were gray like the print. The “regular” mat had faded so much that it had changed to a completely different color. At Carter Avenue, these “”regular”" mats are a long, faded memory.

One of the most exciting new conservation matting products of the last few years has been the Alphamat Artcare System developed by the Bainbridge matboard company. While all archival quality matboards will not degrade or harm your artwork, only Alphamats are designed to actively trap and neutralize pollutant gases before they can reach your art. The fibers used in an Alphamat care covered with and surrounded by crystalline cages called “molecular traps”. In short, the boards trap acids (both from the air and the artwork itself) to keep them away from the artwork. Who knows what they’ll come up with in the 22nd century?

HINGING PAPER ART – A LOT HINGES ON YOUR HINGES

The hinging of paper art is probably something that has not kept you up late at night, but it is a vital part of the preservation process. When we are working with original art on paper (i.e. watercolors, pastels, drawings, original prints, etc.,) we want to make sure that whatever means we choose to hold the art into place for framing is three things: archival, stable and reversible. Everyday household tapes (such as masking tape, scotch tape, and packing tape) fail all three tests. We see pretty much any kind of tape that you’ve heard of, including surgical tape and duct tape, used to strap art to its matting. Often we will take apart old frames and find prints stained with adhesive from bad tapes leeching into the edges of the paper. Sometimes our paper conservator can help remove these stains, sometimes he can”t.

There are several proper methods for hinging paper art. We choose the one that is most appropriate to both the type of paper art and the style of framing that it will be presented in. For most art this means using acid-free framers tape or Japanese mulberry paper with wheat starch paste. Another alternative is suspending the art in clear, polypropylene corner mounts. At Carter Avenue we know which hinging method is most appropriate for your art and we discuss the options with you if there is more than one appropriate option. You can be sure than we will never suggest masking tape, so don’t even think about asking.

GLAZING – NOT FADING AWAY

So what kind of glazing do we want to use to protect our art? Glazing, of course, refers to the glass or acrylic that covers a framed piece of art. In framing, glazing exists for the sole purpose of protecting your art from its environment. All glass protects the art from dust and other less-than-clean things that float through the air. However, archival glass can also prevent damage caused by ultra violet (UV) light. Our best glass contains an extra UV filter that slows the fading of your art. This conservation glass is available in clear, non-glare, and museum versions. We recommend this glass for most original works on paper, especially those with color inks – which tend to be less stable.

Back in the “good old days”, there was no such thing as conservation glass. Back in the “not-so-long-ago days”, the cost of conservation glass was prohibitively expensive. In the 21st century, conservation glass is both affordable and available. Just like pocket calculators.

More and more we are using UV filtering glass on non-original art. In some ways, the poorer the quality of the art, the more necessary UV protection is. That calendar print that you’re framing wasn’t made with inks that were intended to last for ages. The same holds true for the felt-tip pen signature on your college degree. Save the fading away for jump shots on the basketball court.

BACKING – GETTING THE PROPER BACKING

Now that we’re moving on to the most glamorous aspect of picture framing: the backing. Okay, backing is not very glamorous, but it is quite important. Even if you have used archival materials in your matting, hinging and glass, your art is still at risk if you have improper backing. Imagine stepping outside into a Minnesota winter with bare feet. Even though you’re wearing a parka, hat and gloves, you wouldn’t feel very warm. Think of good backing as the boots that keep your picture warm.

Many things framed in the “good old days” use corrugated cardboard or even wood strips for backing. Anything made of wood will leave its mark on paper artwork, and that’s not a good thing. We will often see wood patterns – the grain, knots and all – burned into the back of prints that have been improperly framed. Conservation quality backing is part of any good framing package.

CONCLUSION – THE CARTER AVENUE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Using archival materials is the first, best step to being able to preserve and enjoy your artwork. But you’re not done yet. You still have to choose reasonable conditions for displaying your art if you want it to last. Just because you put conservation glass on your painting doesn’t mean that it’s going to be safe hanging in the sun porch. Ditto with your bathroom where your husband likes to take long, steamy showers. We’re picture framers, not miracle workers. You can hang your art in a volatile environment, but even with the best archival materials, just realize that your artwork is going to have a shorter life.

We hope this short jaunt through the forest of preservation framing has been somewhat enlightening. As with all topics of this nature, we certainly have not covered everything here. Please feel free to stop in and ask us about the best ways to present and preserve your treasured artwork.

Doctors may not make house calls anymore, but Carter Avenue does. Sometimes having an expert eye to help you with your home or office decor can make the difference between eye-catching and “ay carumba!”. We will come to your location and help you with placement of your existing framed art and help you with art and framing selections for your empty spaces. We do delivery and installation, as well. Our customers have been amazed by how much a little design sense can transform their surroundings. Beat the rush — call for an appointment today! (651) 645-7862

Neither had we, but one of our customers did (with a certificate of completion from a cooking class). We have framed a good number of odd and interesting things over the years. Here is a partial list:

• antique fishing lures with a newspaper photo of the fisherman
• five of Grandma’s rings
• shadow puppets from Indonesia
• a vertical collection of stamps from around the world (for a skinny space)
• a child’s painting with a photo of the child artist
• old family marriage and confirmation certificates
• an antique shillelagh (an Irish walking stick)
• Grandma’s crocheted doilies
• mementos from a trip to Russia – nesting dolls, coins, stamps, postcards, a broken glass
• chaps and spurs
• a chunk of Astroturf from a college football stadium
• a collection of World War II rationing booklets
• a whole deck of collectible playing cards
• a hole-in-one golf ball and score card
• Napoleonic war relics – buttons, buckles, and bullets
• a chunk or Sheetrock with a drawing on it
• a snake skin
• a pad of Post-It notes signed by the inventor of Post-Its

Have you figured out which of the things you have stored in your old shoe box or cedar chest would be much more interesting displayed on the wall? If we can make kitchen implements look good, just imagine what we can do with your unusual project.

You’ve found art that you love. Check. You know which room you’re hanging it in. Check. You need to come up with an attractive presentation among the hundreds of frames and mats (and thousands of combinations) that you’re certain will show the artwork off. Um, um,….checkmate?

Not to worry. Designing an attractive framing presentation for your art is neither rocket science nor a one-frame-fits-all formula. Good design begins by taking many related elements into account including the art itself, its surroundings and your taste. Of course, the most intangible factor is the imagination and creativity that can make the difference between ho-hum presentation of your art and truly inspired design. As we break down the basic elements of frame design, we hope to show you what we are doing when we assist you in designing your next framing job.

Color: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

One of the biggest design mistakes that people make is allowing the framing to take the visual interest away from their art. Good framing design adds to the overall presentation of your art, but it shouldn’t be allowed to steal the show. Kind of like a Vice President.

Color selection is one of the most important and sometimes misunderstood elements of framing design. Whether you are drawn to tropical colors, Ansel Adams black and white or some palate in-between, few things have more immediate impact on your artwork than the colors that surround it. For that reason, frame design almost always begins with choosing a mat color.

Mat selection is very important because it provides the visual space in which your art will be displayed. It is crucial that the mat color does not overpower your artwork. First, you need to understand that mat colors often do exactly the opposite of what you might expect intuitively. For example, using a light mat on a dark image does not make the image lighter; it actually intensifies the dark color. Dark mats almost always overwhelm lighter images.

To enhance the focal point of the art, it is best to use mat colors that coordinate with the background color(s) of the art. Unless the tints and hues of your mats coordinate with your art, they will compete for attention with the art. Ideally, the intensity of the mat color should be similar to the dominant colors of the art. In other words, dark pictures need dark mats, and lighter pictures need lighter mats. Of course, there are always exceptions. Certain art pieces are best served by neutral colored mats or deliberately contrasting colors. That’s where the imagination and creativity come in.

Scale: Size Matters

Why do clowns riding tiny bicycles look so funny? Because the bicycles and riders are wildly out of proportion with one another. The same thing can happen to your artwork if you don’t pay proper attention to the scale when choosing a framing design.

Artwork varies from images with lots of delicate detail to images that have a single strong visual element. Some pieces are tiny and some are huge. The scale of the frame and the width of the mat must be matched to the visual strength and the scale of the art. Strong pieces need strong frames and wider mats so the frame does not look spindly and the art isn’t crowded in the frame. Special care must be taken with delicate pieces since they can be overwhelmed by frames that are too dark or too large.

Size isn’t the only measure of an image’s strength. If you had a postcard from Harry S. Truman, it’s historical interest may dictate stronger framing than the souvenir postcard you got from your uncle in Florida. Conversely, your oversized modern art poster may call for a very simple frame. In any case, size does matter.

Style: When The Mixing Doesn’t Match

As much as you would like your modern geometric abstract to fit into your room filled with Elizabethan portraits, framing it in a gold Victorian frame is not going to do justice to your abstract. Similarly, a frilly feminine figure study will not look good in a shiny angular metal frame. The historic period, overall feel, and style of your art often give hints to the type of frame that will be appropriate. Some pieces lend themselves to different treatments such as a Rembrandt poster that could be framed simply as a show poster or rather ornately to reflect the style of frames used on Rembrandt’s originals. Sometimes mixing styles can be very interesting as long as you’re following our cardinal rule about not letting the framing take over the artwork.

Textures and Patterns: Giving Your Art That Finishing Touch

A wood frame is a wood frame, right? Wrong. You don’t have to be a great conneseur of wood to realize that the different grains and textures of a moulding have a huge influence on its overall appearance. For example, the rough grain of an oak frame is often best suited for casual, outdoorsy pictures. The texture of a maple frame, by contrast, has a completely different feel, perhaps something more formal or modern than oak. The same goes for the mats. Differently textured mats can make either a more dramatic or subtle transition between the art and frame. Today there are a wide variety of interesting textured mats and frames.

Sometimes patterns in the art can be tastefully mirrored in the frame design to great effect. If there is a strong architectural element in a building, for example, sometimes using a frame and/or fillet with a similar pattern can bring unity to the whole package. Strongly patterned frames can be very dramatic, so they must be used with care. Sometimes our when our customers fall in love with strongly patterned frames that are clearly inappropriate for the artwork they came in to frame, we suggest using those frames on mirrors. There is no frame on our wall that would not make a great mirror somewhere.

Practical Considerations: Reality Framing

Good frame design does not end with pure aesthetic considerations. Structure and preservation have to balance your other design choices. We’re sorry, but it doesn’t matter how much you like the soft half-inch wood frame on your huge poster, we’re not going to let you walk out of Carter Avenue with a frame that will fall apart before you get to your car. We also need to consider which framing methods are most appropriate for the long-term preservation of your artwork. Even though glass doesn’t improve the appearance of your watercolor painting, it will protect it so that you can enjoy it many years from now.

A Successful Design

Once all of these elements come together we’ve reached the end of a successful framing journey. There is nothing more satisfying for us than working with you to select a framing treatment that sets off your art, draws rave reviews from your friends and, most importantly, gives you years of enjoyment.