You've Been Framed!

Framing is very much on my mind at the moment and here is ''Autumn Spreading its Canopy'' in a hand made Acacia wood frame with winter white Passepartout (or mat). 

One thing is clear, pastel painting has to go behind glass to protect it but here there are three main options really, as above with a mat, here below directly behind glass and number three is with the use of  ''spacers'' between the glass and the artwork. 

All of the methods of framing have advantages and disadvantages, so let’s take a look at them. 

Firstly, framing with a passepartout (mat) keeps your artwork way from contact with glass (in countries with extremely high temperatures and humidity this is supposed to help prevent mould) don’t forget that water or damp is the enemy of pastel paintings (watercolour and sketches too for that matter!) , with a double mount or hinging you can create a little space through which pastel dust can drop through therefore not ruining your pristine passepartout. If you use fixative the problems of pastel dust are certainly reduced and framers will be much happier to frame your work. I was at a framers this week who point blank refused to touch my work unless I agreed to him fixing it, or I could guarantee that I had fixed it, legally he did not want to be accountable for ruining my paintings. This of course is at odds with the theories that fixative causes problems with restoration and conservation, here I must admit I think that every artist has to go their own way! I, as do many professional pastel artists, use fixative; my technique of layering isn't possible without it and handing/framing my large works would be impossible without. 

Artists have been fixing work since the 15th C, Degas, Cassatt, Redon and Liotard are well known to have used it, Degas complex technique couldn’t exist without it and Redon's early pastels can only be exhibited because fixative has stabilised the very fragile supports he used. Sooo, I am putting my faith in the top quality pastels, support and fixative that I use, and hope they are an improvement on the alcohol and fish glue used on Liotard's pastels! That said Liotard's pastels really have stood the test of time, fish glue or not! 

My second painting is framed using ''French framing'' (somewhat confusingly also known as passepartout framing), here the pastel painting is sandwiched directly onto the glass using frame tape to hold everything together, this is a method which has been used for hundreds of years in France, what is nice is it gives a sleek, modern gallery style to the painting. This method is also thought to prevent mould, dust cannot drop down because the painting cannot move around either. The disadvantage here is when removed from the frame you may get some ghosting of the pigment on the glass, although I'd say the French have been doing it like this for centuries, so it must be good! I remember opening a very old pastel painting framed like this and it was in mint condition! Richard Mackinley, one of the pastel gurus, frames like this; you can find tips from him online. 

Finally, the use of spacers! Spacers are either commercially bought strips of archival plastic, which are adhesive, you place them between the glass and the pastel painting around the edge (some people use strips of mat board) and the spacers keep the pastel work from touching the glass, at the same time allowing loose dust to drop down into the frame. There is the disadvantage of course, loose dust then on the inside of the frame. 

Now I come to think of it there is yet another option, ''float framing'', this is on its way in and I'm definitely going to explore that method too. 

As a pastel painter I'm always a bit peeved by the hoo haa framing/fixing pastels causes, every medium has its down side, we know oil paintings yellow with age, the pigments change or lose colour (van Gogh is a good example) nobody thinks twice about not purchasing an oil painting because it may turn yellow, charcoal/graphite needs some kind of fixing/stabilising, watercolour may fade or paper disintegrate. Pastels are virtually pur pigment, they retain their fabulous hues, they don’t yellow, or fade! It’s time pastels were appreciated for the fabulous medium they are and I'm sure Cassatt, Liotard, Redon and Degas, especially Degas would agree!