Featured The cost of framing

What's available in the way of museum grade non-reflective glass is amazing, but I imagine it comes with a matching price. I was at a show recently where, standing very close to the art, I could see the ceiling lights reflected, but from just a couple feet away I couldn't even tell that glass was present. Couldn't even see my own reflection in it.

Ordinary picture glass is another thing you can get cheap at a thrift. Buying a cheap print framed under glass gives you the glass for a lot less than purchasing a piece retail. Cutting glass is easy... just measure twice to cut once. Some people say older glass is harder to cut, but that hasn't been my experience.

 

DH and I once went to an art auction because we wanted a small Emerson Burkhart. We used to see some of his paintings around here but no longer. I thought it would cost about $3000 - $4000. My plan was to purchase and resell 2 fabulously framed and matted Blue Dog posters from the Jazz and Heritage Fest in New Orleans. Buy the Burkhart with the proceeds. I think I paid about $200 each for the Blue Dogs and sold them for about $1400 a piece. We went to almost $4000 on the Burkhart but the other bidder was determined to have it. Then I was stuck ebaying the Blue Dogs and just about panicked on the shipping. One went to Kansas (from Ohio) and the other fortunately, was sold locally and I delivered it. I swagged the Kansas shipping cost and then took it to UPS and said here, you pack it, insure it and ship it and it made it in one piece. If it hadn't been for the extraordinary popularity of Blue Dog prints, I would have been stuck with at least one of them. UPS can get it there in one piece when they pack it.

DH and I still mourn not getting the Burkhart and wish we could have gone higher. And I remember thinking that the consignor didn't even recover the cost of framing the Blue Dogs. The local buyer went to Tulane University in NOLA and lived on Tulane St. here in Ohio. Big fan.

 

I love LOVE museum glass. I put it on every piece I own. But yes, often it's the most expensive part of my heavily discounted frame job. It will reflect light at some angles, but it looks purple and is very muted.

Funny story: My husband works with curators almost exclusively. They are forever dismissing him when he says museum glass should go on piece, especially dark black pieces in a bright gallery. Of course then glare is terrible and you can't see the art. Cost is not an issue with these curators either, they just don't know the difference.

He had a pastel piece in a show and put the museum glass on. He was standing in front of the piece talking to a curator and the man commented "I can't believe you didn't put glass on this, but it's great because we can see it so well without any glare!" My husband dead stared him and said, "There's absolutely glass on it. It's the museum glass I'm always recommending to you." Curator was completely floored. Got right up on it trying to see it thinking he was being pranked.

It really is Dark Magic and you should put it on your favorite pieces if you can.

 

Ola-I'd take the Emerson Burkhart over even an original Blue Dog any day,sorry you couldn't snag it

 

These were around here as late as the mid 80s. Remember using them to frame two large antique etchings and it was very reasonable. Went back to the same shop several years later and they were very expensive, even to have a mat cut.

 

The frame it yourself places were quite affordable-one of the better albeit brief capitalist experiments.
Boy,the hoops we go thru to cut the costs of framing our stuff !

 

I buy art or cheap prints all the time for the frames. I don't hang anything I don't like and generally do not hang mass produced prints. There are exceptions where print and frame together are too good not to hang.

I can sympathize with this. I have several pieces that remain unframed due to odd sizes. Have taken to keeping a tape measure in the car at all times and size will sometime determine whether or not I buy something. On the other hand, I always have a frame for something in a standard size. Any time I find a 16" x 20" frame I like, I snatch it up. I know it will get used down the road.

 

Bev, your work is exceptional and it is too bad that framing cuts into your profit. Some artists I have talked to tell me that matted prints are really where they make their money. They sell framed original works for good money but prints of same are very reasonable. The framed works on display help customers envision what the prints will look like framed. The cheap prints outsell the original works by far.

 

Brad, I love that print and frame! I would hang her too.

 

In hindsight, I should have just done a smack down on the other bidder. That Burkhart is no doubt worth so much more now and it really resonated with both of us. OTOH, I would have to declare it on my house insurance, LOL! Emerson Burkhart lived and worked near here and his works would sometimes come up at small local auctions for peanuts. Not any more.

 

Prices on American Regional Artists have exploded in the last 20 yrs.All the NY art snobs used to consider these folks naive hicks (or worse still-'Realists' !). Anybody working any distance from NY was out of touch,there were a few exceptions,Georgia O'Keeffe for instance.

 

And the sad thing is that you have such talent. I knew a woman that taught my painting with pastels class. Her art work was also fabulous. She published books and did classes. She still barely got by.