Choosing a Frame

Picking a frame for your painting is very important. It can really hurt a painting if you do not have the right frame on it. Each painting belongs to a specific frame, but overall, I do not think that ornate frames help bring the painting out more. It can still steal the show. I have seen some nice paintings put into really ornate frames that totally kill the painting. I am more in the mindset of choosing simple frames. It can have carving or patterns on it, but the painting has to shine first, and the frame second. The frame should wrap up the painting.

In my smaller paintings, maybe up to 12 x 16 inches, I don’t like to go for more than a 3-inch wide frame. Usually, I stick with a 2 to 2.5-inch frame width. This way, it does not overpower the painting. I have seen some very nice inch-and-a-half wide frames that work well with smaller or larger paintings. It really depends on the painting. There are ready-made frames that also look pretty nice (better than they used to look). If you have paintings you purchased from other artists, putting a nice frame on them really does matter for presentation. I know some professional artists that don’t spend much money on their frames and I always wish they would upgrade. The wrong frames can kill their beautiful paintings.

“the painting has to shine first, and the frame second.”

In my opinion, it is hard to make a silver frame work with most paintings. Especially on a cool painting like a snow scene. The silver is just too much for the painting. A warm and cool contrast works well. Gold is a good option when it is toned down and not too bright and gaudy. Usually, a master framer will have a very nice palette of leafing and color. Again, this is always just my opinion and two cents. If you are not able to spend the money on a custom frame, do some research on ready-made frames to see what fits your paintings best without overpowering them.