The "Artwork with Class" Story

Thomas Kincade print all "decked out."

It was an ordinary day.  Just got home from my part-time job at Grebinger Gallery in Neffsville, PA where I do the matting and framing of artwork for a former student of mine whom I had in photography class.  I usually work one, or sometimes two days a week for Keith framing just about anything.  Few weeks ago I framed the mane of a horse that had recently died and was being remembered by its owner with the memento.  I have framed a few pro golf collectables as well as a few balls, tees, and score cards from a golfer who may had had a hole-in-one.  Baseball jerseys and football jerseys are other popular items that I have done, but today I am decking out two large Thomas Kinkade prints that Keith had purchased with plans of having me mat and frame them for resale in his gallery.  He told me he wanted suede matting and I was to use a wooden gold fillet to compliment the frame that he had purchased.  My first job was to set up the computerized mat cutter for the size of the mat with the opening for the size of the print.  Suede mat board is slightly thicker than regular mat board and the mat cutter needs to be adjusted accordingly.  After the mat has been cut it is now ready for the application of the gold wooden fillet.  The fillets are usually 3/16" to 1/4" in width and will fit in the opening of the mat before it is placed over the print.  I have included some photos to give you an idea how the procedure is done. Instructions are listed under each photo. Hope you can follow my descriptions. The final result from the photos below can be seen at the top of this story.  Stop in the gallery on Rt. 501N in Neffsville, PA and visit with Keith and me.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The fillet is a long, very narrow piece of wood that will help to add "Class" to the matting of any photograph.  I use a fillet chopper to cut the 45 degree angles needed to fit into the mat.

This photo shows the fillets which will be placed around the opening in the suede mat.

Before gluing the fillets to the mat board I coat the corners with a gold marker so you will not see any of the wood coloring in the corners of the final frame.

Final corner.

On the rear side I place acid-free tape to hold the fillets in place and also to prevent the wooden fillets from touching the print.

This shows what the print looks like before placement in the frame.

I use a nail brush to clean the suede mat from dust and any imperfections that might occur in the manufacture of the mat.

The frame is assembled in the "underpinner" which pushes metal cleats into the wood from under the corner of the frame by using pressure from your foot.

The glass that I used was Conservation glass.  It will prevent the print from being exposed to damaging rays from the sun, causing the print to fade.  You notice in the photo that I cut from the rear.  The wording on the glass says "This side faces artwork" so I need to turn it over for cutting.

The glass is cut using a T-square and an oiled hand glass cutter.

The glass is placed in the rear of the frame, cut side towards the frame.

After placing the mat, artwork and conservation foam board in place, I use a pin driver to hold it in place.

I now place double-sided tape around the edge of the frame to attach the backing paper.

The backing paper will protect the rear of the print and keep insects from damaging the print.

Because of the size and weight of the print, I place "Wall-Buddies" on the rear instead of wire.