BACKWOODS FRAME MAINTENANCE

Time passes quickly; things wears out, deteriorate and need attention. Frame Maintenance is important!

Even framed art doesn’t last forever. We use materials and techniques that are designed to slow the deterioration that time and light inevitably bring. But not everything you own was framed by us. It may have been framed before conservation materials were widely used. It may have been framed by someone whose thriftiness overcame their concern for the long-term care of the art. It may have had a hard life that has it looking a bit beat up. I have seen some pretty amazingly awful framed pieces of art hanging in homes and offices: landscapes that have faded to pink and blue, horribly discolored acidic mats that burn and discolor the art, prints that have slipped from their mats, sagging canvases, frames that have been scratched or banged up, frames with separating corners, art and framing that has suffered obvious water damage and moldy art that has been stored in a damp basement. You get the idea. And let’s not even get into all the ugly and inappropriate framing designs.

Some art is timeless, some is not.Some paintings are still loved after twenty-five years. Some pieces have not stood the test of time. Some art is classic and some is trendy. That mauve and gray abstract above your fireplace is screaming 1980s. The marbled green laminate frame you bought twenty-five years ago may have looked great then, but it doesn’t now. It may not be the look you are after. After all, you have changed your hair style (if you have some), your clothing styles, your car, and your furniture several times in the last twenty years. It might be time to take stock of the art you own and consider its condition. For pieces you love, consider updating the framing. Get rid of pieces you own but don’t care about anymore and find something new to love. Framing standards have changed drastically over the years, and styles have too. Your art collection needs a little maintenance once in a while. Bring in the less-than-perfect framed art you love, along with the new pieces you’ve found, and let us give it the treatment they deserve.