Framed in Time
by
B.D. Adams

            Welcome to The Hanging Image Web-site!  This is the first article for this web-site to help inspire, inform and get the juices going for creative ways to display artwork, as well as to buy artwork.

        All right … you have been looking for that piece of art, be it a photograph, an oil painting or any other flat medium, which will grab your heart to buy and take home to display.  The most important consideration is what you do with it once you get it home.  Will it become a fantastic addition to your decor, or will it end up in the hall closet.  The art of framing the piece is so key as to where it ends up.

            You found what you were looking for!  You’ve happened upon two of those early pro black and white photographs in odd shapes.  They aren’t standard sizes, but they have spoken to your heart with their simple beauty.  You’d never find a frame for either of these photos specifically.  I’m sure you’ve seen this type of photo:  stiff backed, slightly stained, frayed edges.  Even with all of these imperfections (except for the stiff backing), they are so movingly beautiful that you have to display them in the way they demand. 

            Let’s first decide where the pieces will be displayed.  Will they be on a table top, on a mantle or on a wall?  The size of the pieces is usually the decider of this question. 

            For fun, let’s decide that they are going on a wall.  I’m thinking a cozy nook in the living room that needs a little dressing up.  It can be in that quirkie little space between the fireplace and the window.  Or, between two windows.  The space is big enough for something substantial, but small enough to eliminate almost everything else.  You know, where you had Great-aunt Juniper’s Tiki-god plaque hanging … her contribution to your Victorian-era decorating scheme which just didn’t work.  And, we can work with that piece in a different article. 

            For the sake of argument, let’s say each photo is a 3½x7 vertical.  I’m throwing caution to the wind by wanting to put each piece on the wall.  We’re going creative with this new article.  That size would traditionally go table top or mantle.  Small pieces, small frames … almost never on the wall. 

            You can’t really put these images in frames that are made to size for hanging on the wall.  No, no, no!  Au contraire!  If you did that, you would only enhance the small-ness of each piece.  Let’s get the juices flowing here because we want it to go into this space to enhance, not to diminish, the pieces or the space.

            When we measure the space where they will hang, we find that two 7x9 sized frames would fit quite nicely.  You’re looking at two framed art pieces, one above the other. 

            Now, all you’ll need are two 7x9 matts, with a 3½x7 cut opening for the print in each matt.  I’m going with a classic black matt.  The matt’s proportions will not over-whelm, be too much for, the size of the image.  Standard cuts with the inside openings are usually rectangular or oval.  Let’s take it easy and go standard for a change with the rectangle. 

            I’m suggesting the black color for the matt because it will bring the eye to the important part … the print!  Now, if the image is possibly a snow-scape, a white, or a light gray matt might be more appropriate.  Color matts can be used with the black and white photos, but that’s another article.

            The style of the frame itself, can be anything from wood to metal, wide molding to ‘skinny tie’ thin.  For this article, I’m choosing the Pewter (not shiny) metal frame or the Contrast Gray (shiny) metal frame.  Either would soften the black matt.  Contrast Gray is a bit darker than the Pewter, and has a shiny finish.  I truly feel the Contrast Gray says ‘elegance’ for these pieces, as opposed to a shiny silver frame which draws the eye away.  The Pewter metal, in contrast (no pun intended), is a Florentine finish.  Neither will draw your eye from the images.  I would highly discourage framing these photos in the shiny silver frames.  And, don’t forget the glass!!  If you use non-glare glass, get the kind that’s etched only on one side.  Etching is done with acid, and it doesn’t matter how well the manufacture swears the glass is good … it’s not!!  Just FYI.

            OK.  Your new objects d’art have been framed with care.  Because the space is rather narrow, placing them one above the other is artistic and practical.  And, here’s another plug for this column, we can get into when it’s right to not be practical, and still be artistic.  Really!

            Once you stand back and admire your artistic choices, you will be seeing something you may not have realized you were doing.  The technique of alternating fields of light and dark is what photographers do to keep the eye trained on what’s important in the photo.  You will see that you have done this same treatment in your framing.  The choice of frame is lighter than the matt, as the matt is darker than the image.  The eye is gently brought to the beauty your heart saw in these images.        

     
            Color photography is hue and tones, vibrant or subdued.  Black and White photography is shades of gray, with intermitting black and white.  Both genres are beautiful!!  Black and white photography will always be in vogue, in my humble opinion.

            Well, I hope this article has helped to get your creative juices flowing, and you can’t wait for the next article.  Take care!