ART | How much does framing cost?

FRAMING ART

The thing I hear most about framing art is that it’s expensive. While this can be true I would highly recommend making sure the frame matches your investment into your work. There is no point spending $2000 on let’s say a photograph and then hang it unframed on a wall in the sun. You’d very quickly turn that investment into nothing and more importantly not be able to enjoy your purchase for years to come which will happen if it’s framed properly.

Therefore, there are two ways you can approach this depending on the artwork you are buying:

Custom art frames

People who frame for a living are craftsman and once you find a good framer you can trust them to take care of your artwork. I met my local framer in Melbourne when I purchased photographs by Kara Rosenlund for a wedding present. I wanted to give the present framed and didn’t really know where to start. I emailed Kara to ask who she recommended and she put me in touch with a framer who she had worked with before. I can now send any works I buy straight to this framer and I know whatever they recommend won’t look daggy and outdated and is of the highest quality.

If you are buying art online, many of these suppliers offer framing with your purchase. This can be a cost effective way of getting framing and your artwork all in one without having to source a framer, drop the work off and pick it up again. 

Frame artwork yourself

I use off the shelf frames from Ikea, KMart, Target etc when I either have a standard size artwork (eg. works that are A1, A0 etc) in size OR it’s something cheap and cheerful that I don’t want to spend too much on.

For example, I bought three small prints from the Art Markets in New Orleans because I saw the original of one of the works that was incredible (and already sold) and at $40 for the three of them I thought it was a nice reminder of the market itself, my trip and the original artwork. I do think I will have these works for a long time but I know they will be protected enough in an off the shelf frame. This is a great way to frame pictures cheaply and allows you to finish your interiors in a professional way. 

When buying ready made frames I would recommend buying frames that have glass in the front rather than plastic as they will last longer. If hanging weight is an issue then of course plastic or perspex might be your only option. If it’s a timber frame you are after I would spend a tiny bit more to buy one that is solid timber rather than timber look. A timber look frame is essentially a low quality frame that is wrapped in a material that has been printed with a timber print and over time will eventually peel off.

“Your framing should match your art investment.”

Keen to know more? Check out my Workshop page to register for the Art for interiors workshop or message me with your artwork on instagram for some assistance with framing.