Whether you sell your work, exhibit in galleries, or get accepted into competitions, remember that your brand goes beyond your piece of artwork. The presentation of your art reflects your brand as much as your artwork does.

When shipping work to a competition or gallery, be very mindful of their presentation direction if they have any. If they don’t, follow professional practices when preparing your work for display.

1. When framing, my preference is to frame all works of the same medium/substrate in the same manner with the same moulding. I have one moulding I use for my gallery wrapped canvas works (a floater frame) and one moulding I use for my matted works. While I use the same moulding, the color can change depending on the artwork. In this way, I find my work to be easily recognized and consistent. Also, when framing, think quality with economy of cost. Don’t go too expensive on your frames since, often, the buyer will re-frame the work to match their décor. (I once had a custom frame I painted and detailed to match the subject in the painting. The painting showed subway gates and the frame was a wood frame with dowel heads which looked like rivets. I painted the frame in a faux rust to match the painting. As soon as the buyer had the painting in their possession, they discarded the frame and re-framed the painting in a narrow chrome metal frame). My recommendation for cost-effective quality framing is www.pictureframes.com. I have been using their frames for my work for over 30 years.
2. When wiring your work, don’t use sawtooth hangers! Use wire of an appropriate weight strength for the painting. While you could use screw eyes, they do stick out from the back of the frame. I have switched to strap hangers (one or two-holed depending on the size and weight of the artwork). These lie flat behind the artwork. Also, when wiring the work, leave enough slack in the wire so the person hanging the work can easily see and possibly reach behind to get the wire on the hanger. Too tight and it’s difficult to hang the work, too loose and the work hangs too far from the wall.
3. Use rubber, cork, or foam bumpers on the bottom corners of the back of the frame to protect the walls where the work is being hung.
4. While my work is signed on the front, I have now begun also writing the title of the work and my name on the stretcher bars on the back of the artwork using a permanent marker. If the work is a watercolor or photograph, I lightly write the title and my name on the back of the artwork, being careful not to cause an indentation on the front of the work. In this way, the title and your name are always with the artwork (except if someone happens to re-stretch the canvas using new stretcher bars). I haven’t tested writing the title and my name on the back of the canvas for fear of bleed-through but I could paint the title and my name using the same paint as on the front of the canvas.

Whether you sell your work, exhibit in galleries, or get accepted into competitions, remember that your brand goes beyond your piece of artwork. The presentation of your art reflects your brand as much as your artwork does.

When shipping work to a competition or gallery, be very mindful of their presentation direction if they have any. If they don’t, follow professional practices when preparing your work for display.

1. If matting your work, it is recommended you use neutrals. If a single mat, use a white or off white. If double matting, the inner mat could be a darker neutral than the top mat and the top mat should still be a white or off white. Also, when matting your work, if you can afford it, use matboard with acid-free front and backing and an acid-free core. If this is beyond your means, at least use matboard with acid free backing. Use a good mat cutter to ensure your corners are straight and not over-cut. When mounting the work, use archival tapes or materials. Curators I have spoken with discourage the paper tapes as they have seen many artworks dislodge during shipping. I personally use clear mounting corners (https://www.dickblick.com/products/lineco-archival-mounting-corners). I place them on all four corners of the work on my backing board but leave enough space to allow the work to expand and contract as needed without buckling.  Speaking of buckling, if taping your work onto the backing board or cut mat, tape only the top of the work securely. Taping more than one side can cause buckling should the work expand or contract.
2. When glazing your artwork, there are several options: Plexiglas, regular glass, non-glare glass, UV protection glass, museum glass, etc. When shipping artwork, I have found most, if not all, competitions and many galleries accept Plexiglas only. It is lightweight and unbreakable, but it can scratch easily. If the desire is to use glass, museum glass is preferred as it is clear, non-glare, and UV resistant. It is, however, expensive. Regular non-glare glass could be an option but, keep in mind that, if your artwork is matted or double-matted, the image may appear slightly frosted or out of focus.
3. This comes from a curator I know and chat with often. When using framing points to secure your work into your frame, don’t use the flexible points if you intend to ship your work. In the handling and transportation of the artwork, the jostling can cause the points to bend and the artwork and glazing to fall out of the frame or come loose. Use the rigid points instead.
4. If your artwork is a work on paper or a matted work, I recommend sealing the entire back of the work once framed to prevent dust, hair, or insects from getting into the artwork. I use two-sided tape along the entire edge of the frame and then I use white paper to close the entire back of the work. To cut the paper, I hold a razor blade at a 45-degree angle and cut along the entire edge of the frame. This cuts the backing paper at about 1/16” inside from the edge of the frame, making the paper invisible from the front. Ensure the paper is flat and taut. If needed, a light spray of water after sealing can tighten the paper.

In my next post, I'll discuss framing...