Should You Frame Your Paintings? (Framing Guide for Artists & Collectors)

Hey and welcome back to my channel. My name's Christina Kent and I'm a full-time fine artist based out of San Francisco. And today I wanted to talk about one of the most common questions that I get from collectors, whether they're buying an original painting of mine or they're buying a commission. And that is, should I get the painting framed? So maybe you're in this situation. You just fell in love with the painting, you bought it, you decided to bring it back to your home, but now you're wondering, what do I do? Do I leave it as is or do I frame it? So in this video, I wanted to share my logic and reasoning behind framing or not framing and what frames I like to use. When I'm showing a painting in a show, I generally actually don't frame my paintings. And a lot of people are pretty surprised to hear this. They think that if you're going to be showing a painting or if you're going to have a painting in your house, doesn't it need a frame? But the answer to me is, it depends. If the painting is on a flat panel, then it generally needs a frame because you need something that you can attach hanging wire to. And it's nice to have it at a bit distance from the wall. But if the painting is on canvas, I actually really like the look of just the pure canvas on the wall. I think it has a really modern contemporary feel, like you can see in this canvas behind me. The canvas already has a thick profile, it has nice clean rectangular lines, and the focus can clearly stay on the painting. So if you have a painting, a nice gallery wrapped canvas like this, don't feel like you have to frame it. You can hang it just as it is, and it'll look beautiful in your space. One thing to be aware of is how the artist handles the edges. So you can see in this painting, there's a lot of kind of patchy brushwork. And what I do is I actually extend that brushwork around the edges of the canvas, so that the painting actually starts to wrap around the canvas on all different sides. In this way, the edges are actually part of the painting, and it makes it much easier to display. Some artists will also tape off the edges, so that there's a clear white line for the edge of the canvas. If the artist hasn't painted around the edges, or if they haven't taped the edges so that they're nice and clean, then there might be some messy parts that could be a little distracting. In that case, you might want to frame. So if you're buying the painting online without seeing it in person, be sure to ask the artist how they finish the edges. If you do want to frame your painting, then I recommend going for a minimal frame like this. This one specifically is called a floater frame. Floater frames are designed to frame the canvas, but they don't actually overlap on any elements of the canvas. The canvas is installed so that it fits within the frame without any overlap, and it appears almost as if the painting is floating in the frame. I love these types of frames because they have very clean lines, they look very elegant and modern, and it's easy to find them in a variety of wood colors or stains to match the painting that you have. This floater frame is designed with a small bevel that makes it easier to install the painting. The painting goes into this inner layer, and then there's a small gap here, which is where there'll be a gap of air between the canvas and the frame on the outside. A lot of people will also ask about the color of the frame. What type of wood should they use, or should they use a painted frame? And for most of my work, I usually like to go with a natural wood. Depending on the space that it's in, you could go with a lighter wood like this maple frame, or you could go with a wood that has a more But you can also do painted frames as well. Especially if your painting involves a lot of bright, dramatic colors, you might want to go with something like a black, a white, or even a colorful frame. If you're not sure which color to go with, reach out to the artist and ask if they have any recommendations. Here's an example of a painting that's framed in a floater frame. With this painting, the collector preferred the more finished look of the frame. We went with a light maple wood for this frame to complement the natural warm tones in the painting. And you can see why it's called a floater frame. There's a small gap between the canvas and the frame, where it looks almost as if the canvas is floating within the frame. So that's my main advice on framing as a fine artist. I hope through this video you can see that you don't have to frame a painting if you don't want to. But if you do, that's great. Ultimately, framing comes down to personal preference. Maybe you like floater frames. Maybe you like more elaborate, ornate frames. Maybe you don't want any frame at all. All these options are totally fine. It's all about what looks best to you in your space. Thanks so much for watching and joining me in my studio today. I hope you found this video helpful, and I'll see you in the next one.