Calling All Artists: Drive Sales to Your Personal Art Gallery

The Online Art Gallery at American Frame is a free resource for artists and photographers who are interested in reaching individual art collectors, designers and retail buyers nationwide. Use it to your advantage. Here is how to make the most of our service to help others find, admire and purchase your work.

It is simple to join. Just go to the Art Gallery sign-up page and follow the step by step instructions for setting up an account. Once that is completed, choose an icon (either a picture of yourself or a representative image of your work) then write up a brief resume so the online shopper can get to know you, and start uploading your work. If you are a professional, let us know where you studied, if you were self taught, what honors and awards you have received and what you find exciting about your work. If you’re an amateur dabbling in your craft, fabulous! We all have to start somewhere.

Make sure your images are of a high enough resolution and quality so that any reproductions you sell are truly representative of your work. Ideally, we would like the digital files to be at least 15MB and 120 PPI at full size. This will give your buyers a wide range of printing options from which to choose. Artists - please make sure you have even lighting when you photograph your work. Have questions? Call our Photography Department for assistance.

As you choose your art pieces to feature, take your time, and do it right. Each image upload is an opportunity to describe your work and connect with your potential customers. We all know that art purchases generally start with an emotional response to an image, and any information you can provide to solidify that relationship between the viewer and the art will increase the likelihood that it may be eventually purchased. Tell us about your piece including what inspired the work, the size and media used in the original piece, and whether the original has been sold. In the case of photography, I always like to have a description of the subject matter and some information on the camera/lens/photographic technique used.

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of search terms. Too many artists skimp on this critical step. Take a simple example of a red rose. If it was something that I painted, I would use all of the following terms: red, rose, red rose, red rose painting, floral, still life, oil (or acrylic) painting and then of course my name: Laura, Jajko, Laura Jajko. The more ways you can describe your work and link it to yourself as the artist, the more likely it will come up in a search.

The pricing decision is always a tough one. Your fine art reproduction will sell for the cost of the image you set (your commission) plus the cost of the printing and framing treatment your customer selects. I recommend that you start with a commission of $20.00 per piece of which you receive in full 60 days after the image is sold. At that price, a customer can purchase a 16 x 20 with our standard mat, acrylic, backing and 1 7/8” 8411 black wood frame for a little over $90.00 plus shipping. If you are established and would like to command more per sale, just change the rate in your gallery on an item by item basis. You decide on how you would like to build your business.

Be sure to present a meaningful body of work. We allow for up to 35 public works to be displayed at a time. To be interesting to the average buyer or collector, I recommend that you upload at least a dozen of your finest images and then market your gallery online as much as possible. Take advantage of social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. Post the direct link to YOUR gallery on these sites so when your buyers come to americanframe.com, they don’t have to search for your collection. Twitter your followers when you add a new piece to the gallery. There are so many creative ways to get your work noticed without spending a dime, so you can focus on making more art, and let us take care of the rest.

Making Sense of Mat Boards

The terms ‘acid free’, ‘archival’, and ‘conservation mat board” are often used loosely and inappropriately in our industry. What does it mean if a board is ‘acid free’? If a mat board is ‘professional quality’ does that mean it’s ‘acid free’? What is the difference between ‘acid free’ and ‘archival’ and where does the art of conservation framing fall in the mix?

In this week’s blog, I will address these questions and provide a framework (sorry, pun intended) to guide you as you choose materials for framing.

First off, let’s talk about the definition of a ‘framing treatment’. Think about your framing as the environment where your art will live. It consists of a piece of art or memorabilia mounted to a backing board, the frame moulding, glazing and a mat board. The treatment is a sealed environment, so any acids in the artwork itself or the framing materials, including boards, tapes or the frame itself, will affect how well the art endures.

Before selecting your materials, consider the purpose of the framing treatment and prioritize your goals. Consider the cost of materials, how important long-term preservation is and the treatment’s overall appearance.

MAT FEATURES: MATERIAL, THICKNESS, COLOR & COST

Material

Mat boards come in 3 types: Standard (a.k.a. Professional Quality), Acid Free (which is better than Standard but provides passive protection), and Archival (which provides active acid absorption within the frame treatment. More on this later.).

Standard mats are manufactured from alpha cellulose, a refined paper product. Acid free boards are made from either virgin alpha cellulose or cotton rag.

Thickness

Mat boards come in different thicknesses or “plys”. Four-ply boards are most common, but thicker boards are an upscale alternative for adding depth without the use of multiple mats.

Color

Mats are generally made from a buffered white or cream core, with a paper coating. Costlier mat options offer “through” color, so the window edge matches the mat’s face.

Cost

As you’d expect, there is a price/quality progression among these choices. Standard mat boards are the most economical and archival are pricier because of the materials and processes used to produce them.

CHOOSING YOUR MAT

Standard

For a low cost, quality framing treatment, choose Crescent Berkshire or Bainbridge Canterbury. At this writing, a custom cut Berkshire mat is included with every frame purchase. The core itself is acid free, and offers a barrier between the artwork, and the paper coating. It is the most economical choice for art shows, open edition prints or photographs, or other art where the need for a professional look at a low cost overrides the need for longevity. It’s available in white or cream core.

Acid Free

When a board is described as acid free, it means that it is PH neutral and will not contribute any harmful acids to the framing treatment, thus offering passive protection to your work. It will extend the life of the art work as long as the other components (including the art, frame, and mounting board) are also acid free. In this category, we offer Crescent Select and Crescent Select 6 ply, which is made from virgin alpha cellulose (as opposed to recycled) with an acid free paper coating and white core. It’s our most popular line with the widest range of colors and plys. Though it costs a bit more than our standard line, in my opinion it is well worth it. A couple years ago, I was interviewed for an article on conservation framing for Art Business News, and I still contend that if an item is worth framing, it’s generally worth preserving.

Archival

While our acid free line offers “passive” protection, archival boards offer “active” protection, meaning they absorb harmful substances from the framing treatment itself and provide superior protection for the long term. The only archival boards on the market are the Bainbridge AlphaEssentials, and AlphaRags with ArtCare technology.

The color of the board in both lines is consistent through the core. This means that the edge of your window will match the color of the mat’s face, which provides a more seamless, high quality look from the artwork to the frame.

AlphaEssentials is our newest, and very exciting line of boards. Although the available color range is narrow, it features the most popular choices. It is made from alpha cellulose as opposed to cotton rag but is still color-consistent through the core. The artwork benefits from the ArtCare technology at a price only slightly higher than Crescent Select.

Alpharag with ArtCare technology is simply the Cadillac of mat boards. It is truly a museum quality product with a beauty unmatched by the other choices we offer. There is a simple, high quality appeal to cotton rag, like a fine cotton paper, which makes it the most coveted choice of all. The rigidity of the board makes it especially practical for framing larger works of art and the texture and color combinations make any framing treatment look rich, for not much extra cost.

Still have questions? Feel free to post them here or, or use the Contact Us link to ask for additional information and up to five free sample chips. Need a more complete viewing of your options? Full sample sets of each collection can be purchased online as well.

A New Tutorial: Mounting Your Artwork for Framing

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive is “how do I prepare my artwork to be framed”? Our customers want to understand the options available, and which should be used when.

Well, we’ve answered this for you in video format, featuring our Frame Fairy, in Mounting Your Artwork For Framing.

This latest tutorial is organized into two sections: the first is for the do-it-yourself framer and describes simple methods and materials that can be used from your home or studio. The second half describes professional mounting options available on our website in the PRINTING AND FRAMING workflow. Simply upload your artwork, click through the tabs on each step, and choose the mounting method you'd like us to when we print and frame your artwork

Still have questions? Post them here and I’ll answer you directly. Or call us at 888-628-3833 to speak with one of our operators.

Introducing: Handbook #36, The Essentials, Mailing to You Mid-October 2009

What is The Essentials? It is a tailored sampling of our ‘tried and true” products - framing materials every framer needs - plus a glimpse of our latest and greatest offerings. It includes our most popular lines of high quality SOLID woods (no MDF here!) and Nielsen metal frames, plus all the mat boards, accessories, and measuring tips you need to custom design and assemble your own framing treatments.

Don’t see what you usually purchase? Search by product number or collection online at AmericanFrame.com.

Use The Essentials to complement our easy online design tools at AmericanFrame.com. Our interactive software will help you choose a frame and mat board from our extensive line and display your finished piece for approval before you order.

All of our customers will be receiving The Essentials within the next week or so. If you haven't purchased from us yet and would like a copy, you can

enter your request here.

As always, you can rely on American Frame to provide the most affordable, highest quality framing supplies and art services available in stores or online. America’s FrameShop since 1973.

In the New York Times, Sept 3, 2009

"One Man's Trash"...

www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/garden/03recycle.html

Great picture and interesting article. I've never imagined frame corners being used like this!

So, What's With the White Roof?

It was a little noisy around here last month as we re-roofed our primary building here in Arrowhead Park. After almost 35 years in this location, it was time, and may I say, timely.

Had we done this a few years ago, we most likely would have implemented another black roll top commercial style roofing system. After a bit of research, we found that a white roof was the most logical and environmentally friendly choice, even though we’re situated in northern Ohio.

Our original thought was that a white roof would not be helpful given our long cold winters; that we would be better off keeping it black and benefiting from a net heat gain to our building environment. However, in our research we learned that the potential for energy savings is much more substantial in the summer than the winter as it takes considerably more resources to air condition a space than it does to heat it. The white roof will reflect the summer sun rather than absorb it, thus making the cooling the inside easier while preventing heat gain into the atmosphere from our building (contributing to the “urban island” effect which makes cities effectively 5-8 degrees warmer than outlying areas, make sense?). Also; something else we didn’t think about, since snow tends to cover our roof through much of the winter season, a black roof doesn’t necessarily help trap heat as it is covered in white anyways.

Since it reflects rather than traps heat, the white roof will support the longevity of our building which is exactly what we need as we plan on being here for a very long time!

So, it just made sense to go this route. Pretty cool, right?

A New Experience: Judging an Art Show

Last Friday, I was invited to judge the Fall exhibition for the Toledo Artists’ Club which runs from Sept 18- Oct 22, 2009. Their gallery and studio are located in the beautiful Botanical Gardens, 5403 Elmer Drive, Toledo Oh. What an honor!

It was a difficult show to judge as its theme was “FALL” and I was judging several media against each other including watercolor, oil, photography, quilting, drawing and pastel. Upon entering the gallery, my first task was to reject ten pieces, which was challenging. I have such a feeling for the artistic process and I understand the stress and expense of preparing and entering a show so I didn't want to reject anything. So, if a piece was chipped, broken, had debris under the glazing or plexi-glass, or just didn’t fit into the theme in my view, those were rejected first. The last few were rejected not because of any lack of quality per se, but only because the work did not stand up to caliber of the other work in the show. Now, with that out of the way, my next task was to issue the awards.

My approach was to view the art, be in the room with it, and evaluate its quality and originality. I didn’t pay any attention to artist names as I didn’t want to be prejudiced by my associations here in town. Here follows a summary of what I chose and why.

Best of Show was a watercolor titled "Crosby Garden", by artist Robert E. Martin. I found it simply to a fine painting. The perspective, color scheme, detail, depth of color and scale made the work stand out to me apart from the rest of the pieces being judged.

1st Place was a captivating photograph, “Crab Traps, Cape Cod” by Michael Walker. Walker also received a merit award for “Autumn Leaves”. These photos looked real (as opposed to overly Photoshopped), and cropped to be almost sculptural, as if the viewers were being invited in to touch the subject matter. I love this work and look forward to seeing more from this photographer.

2nd Place was awarded to Margie Carlile for “Rock Cactus”, a fun, beautiful, playful watercolor which I thought looked and felt almost like pastel. I’m personally amazed at watercolor artists - although it’s the most accessible medium I find it the most difficult to do well.

3rd Place went to “Dock of the Bay” by Dave Smith, a large, tranquil looking piece which again, stood out due to its quality and scale. A timeless subject and a well done painting.

Honorable Mentions:

Betsy Ford: “View of the Atlantic”, Pastel

Carrol Lee Rice: “Etude II”, Mixed Media

Merit Awards:

Michael Walker: “Autumn Leaves”, photography

Joan Rigal: “Fall’s Entry” Art Quilt

Anthony Carmona: “Sidewalk Lunch”, hand tinted silver gelatin print

M.L.Huepenbecker: “Enjoy the View”, photography

Congratulations to you all, and thank you for inviting me to be a part of this experience. For further information, please contact the Toledo Artists’ Club, 419-531-4079