220 S. Wabash Ave. Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 431-9588
(312) 431-9588
Canvases in Floater Frames Stacked Inside Traditional Frames
A client brought in three, 11 1/2 x 11 1/2" canvases already stretched on 1 1/2" deep gallery-wrap stretchers. They all appeared to be part of a larger painting or combined image. Our framing team manager, Dana, designed something very lovely and novel for them. The client required that we put plexiglass over the canvas, but did not want to use a traditional frame, which has a lip that overlaps the artwork, behind which glass or plexi can sit. So, how could she make this work? First, she chose an AMPF #6505 White floater frame that was 2 inches deep. Floater frames are different from standard frames in that they have no lip on the front to overlap the artwork. As a general ruile, canvases do not get glass or plexiglass. Most of the time, we frame with floaters leaving a gap or "pull-away" between the canvas and the inside of the frame.That makes it look like it is "floating" within the frame. And, if the stretcher is not perfectly square, this allows the stretched canvas to sit inside the floater without it appearing too obvious that the stretcher is not as square as it should be. What Dana ended up doing was cutting a piece of Tru-Vue Optium Museum Acrylic (the plexiglass version of anti-reflective Museum Glass) and letting it sit atop the front face of the floater frame.
Then, to secure the plexiglass in place, she built an AMPF #3127 Purple "Carnivale" series frame with an inside dimension a tiny bit larger than the outside footprint of the floater frame. The purple frame was slipped down, over the edge of the floter, and locked the Optium in place. To secure the purple frame, Dana used Fletcher Multi-Points, which are shaped like a small square with a hole in the middle that has two small spikes coming off one side. The spikes were anchored in the white floater and then the purple frame was attached to the Multi-point hardware by means of a wood screw through the hole in the middle (see photos).
The outside dimension of the AMPF Purple frame is 15 9/16" x 15 9/16". This is an unconventional combination of a floater frame and traditional frame, but the end result was stunning and worked really well.
The Optium Museum Acrylic is nearly invisible, so all you see is the artwork. In the photo at the top of this page, with all 3 frames next to each other, you can see the reflection of a light fixture directly over the middle frame. However, properly hung and lit, you cannot see the Optium plexiglass.
Photos by Brian Flax
Images shown by kind permission of D. MacSweeny
A client brought in three, 11 1/2 x 11 1/2" canvases already stretched on 1 1/2" deep gallery-wrap stretchers. They all appeared to be part of a larger painting or combined image. Our framing team manager, Dana, designed something very lovely and novel for them. The client required that we put plexiglass over the canvas, but did not want to use a traditional frame, which has a lip that overlaps the artwork, behind which glass or plexi can sit. So, how could she make this work? First, she chose an AMPF #6505 White floater frame that was 2 inches deep. Floater frames are different from standard frames in that they have no lip on the front to overlap the artwork. As a general ruile, canvases do not get glass or plexiglass. Most of the time, we frame with floaters leaving a gap or "pull-away" between the canvas and the inside of the frame.That makes it look like it is "floating" within the frame. And, if the stretcher is not perfectly square, this allows the stretched canvas to sit inside the floater without it appearing too obvious that the stretcher is not as square as it should be. What Dana ended up doing was cutting a piece of Tru-Vue Optium Museum Acrylic (the plexiglass version of anti-reflective Museum Glass) and letting it sit atop the front face of the floater frame.
Then, to secure the plexiglass in place, she built an AMPF #3127 Purple "Carnivale" series frame with an inside dimension a tiny bit larger than the outside footprint of the floater frame. The purple frame was slipped down, over the edge of the floter, and locked the Optium in place. To secure the purple frame, Dana used Fletcher Multi-Points, which are shaped like a small square with a hole in the middle that has two small spikes coming off one side. The spikes were anchored in the white floater and then the purple frame was attached to the Multi-point hardware by means of a wood screw through the hole in the middle (see photos).
The outside dimension of the AMPF Purple frame is 15 9/16" x 15 9/16". This is an unconventional combination of a floater frame and traditional frame, but the end result was stunning and worked really well.
The Optium Museum Acrylic is nearly invisible, so all you see is the artwork. In the photo at the top of this page, with all 3 frames next to each other, you can see the reflection of a light fixture directly over the middle frame. However, properly hung and lit, you cannot see the Optium plexiglass. Photos by Brian Flax
Images shown by kind permission of D. MacSweeny
STORE INFO
- M-F 9:00am - 5:30pm
SAT 10:00am - 5:00pm
SUN Closed - 220 S. Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60604 - Phone: 312-431-9588
- Email: info@flaxartandframe.com