Edges Art Framers
Decisions
When a customer enquires about framing an artwork, the first thing the staff wants to know is the purpose of the object. Will they want to take it out of the frame again? Where will it be displayed? What style of room? What colours in the room? What type of wood in the room?
Customers will sometimes bring in curtains or some such item to show what colours or textures they want to complement their artwork. Occasionally they might request a house call, to utilise the expertise of the framers in knowing what will work best in a particular location.
A customer will be shown different colours of mat boards to set off the piece. For example, the cricket bat might have a red emblem on it and this would decide what colours might be avoided.
There are trends in picture framing as in other areas and the colours often follow those for housing, which change each year. Suzi's husband is a house painter, which gives her an advantage in knowing ahead of time what colours will be required. Colour choice is also seasonal – in summer it's lots of white and blue, in winter everybody wants red to warm up their houses.
Another decision must be made on the type of glass used. This will depend on whether there will be any sun on the artwork. If the aim is preservation then UV glass is essential, especially in the Hawke's Bay sun. Modern houses tend to have big windows exaccerbating the problem of light reflection from the glass; here, a reflection control glass is the answer. Glass with both UV and reflection control is available, although obviously is more expensive. Standard glass is available in New Zealand and is a reasonable price. Edges uses specialised glass from the United States which is more expensive
As well as the backing there may be special requirements for the frame itself. For a cricket bat a deep frame is appropriate, particularly if there will be glass on it. In this case, as well as a solid backing a fillet is required to keep the glass forward.
A huge range of frames is available nowadays. There is a New Zealand range of mouldings, designed for the local market, and imported frames from places such as Italy and Australia.
There are also trends in frames; they are not as big and ornate as in the past, but quite simple, often selected in a colour to match the matting chosen. Some, however,want a strong frame so it stands out.
People will come in to change frames when they've moved house or changed the colour of a room. Sometimes Suzi will go to a house to look at the style and colours before advising on changing the frames. She says she can do this quite economically – "it's not a big deal". Sometimes Suzi will get an indication of what a person might like in frames by what they are wearing.
