GETTING FRAMED
Experts weigh in with some tips about displaying art to advantage in your home
The first three posters I had on my bedroom wall as a teenager were of Metallica, Richard Dean Anderson of MacGyver fame, and a painting by Modigliani. They were stuck to the wall with blue “removable” mounting putty and all three were promptly destroyed the day I tried to take them down — removable indeed.
Conservation is one of the main reasons it’s important to frame art, especially if it’s something you plan on keeping for a while.
“I’m just thinking back to when I was a teenager, and the posters I had on the wall; so silly. But those are things that I don’t need to have today; they’re such a moment in time,” said Emily Robertson, the owner and director of Station 16 Gallery, an urban art gallery on StLaurent Blvd. “Here, at the gallery, we encourage the younger generation to start investing in a little art — and a little framing — to be able to grow their collection and have something that stands the test of time.”
When choosing a frame, it’s important to first evaluate what you’re framing.
“If you’re framing something on paper, like a drawing or watercolour painting, you need to use an acid-free backing so it doesn’t yellow or discolour,” said François Arès, the sales director at Station 16.
Next, the piece itself needs to be taken into account.
“If it comes from a certain period of time, it’s nice for the frame to match,” said Rémi Bédard, a framing specialist and the co-owner of Encadrex, a framing shop on Marie-Anne St. E.
“With more recent works, I’d say look at the piece but also look at its environment — the space that surrounds it. Purists will say that only the piece matters, but my point of view is that you have to think about where the work is going to live,” he said.
When it comes to the colour of the frame, black and white are generally safe choices.
“I remember the first time I bought a frame, I was 16,” Robertson said.
... Look at the piece (of artwork) but also look at its environment — the space that surrounds it . ... You have to think about where the work is going to live.
RÉMI BÉDARD
“I went to the framer and told him: ‘My room is pale green so the frame should be that colour’ and he said: ‘Young lady, you frame for the art, not the decor’ — which is something that stuck with me.
“Go with something that complements the piece, and listen to what your framer is telling you because they are the experts.”
Rémi Bédard came to framing through art — he used to have a pottery atelier — and later went to work in a framing shop, learning from the pros.
“You learn from the people you work with, because there’s no framing school,” he said.
A good guideline for hanging your artwork is 57 inches on centre. “On centre” means the middle of the piece should be at a height of 57 inches, the average eye level for most people and the standard measurement used in galleries and museums.
“People always hang too high; it really freaks me out,” Emily Robertson said. “Fifty-seven inches is a good guide, but if it feels off in your home, adjust it.”
François Arès explained: “You have to consider your space — like whether you have a low ceiling versus a vaulted ceiling.
“There’s always a place of comfort. If you’re by yourself, you can take the dimensions of the piece and use painter’s tape to outline it on the wall. Step back and see how it fills the space,” he said. In terms of what to hang where, Bédard said contemplative works
are nice to have somewhere people will be sitting — in a dining or living room — whereas other more colourful works with a lot of movement can be hung in areas where people have the tendency to travel, like a hallway.
If the shape of your wall is horizontal, use a horizontal piece to complement it — likewise, a vertical piece for a vertical wall, said Arès, who cautions people against either matching the top of anything to the height of door frames, or hanging pieces at exactly the same height in a straight line.
“It becomes a static environment if it’s too uniform.”
He recommends checking out how artists display art in their studios for inspiration on how to show it at home.
“Artists have explosions of art,” Arès said, “like a little pile of art leaning against the wall on the floor or above a foyer. It looks very
temporary, but it’s actually intentional.”
You have to consider your space, like whether you have a low ceiling versus a vaulted ceiling . ... Use painter’s tape to outline (the piece) on the wall. Step back and see how it fills the space. FRANÇOIS ARÈS