Upcoming Show

Hello all..
Our photo club is showing some of our photos at a local coffee house in a couple of months. It will be my first showing, ever and I need some advice. At our last meeting, we had a local artist come in and give a presentation on framing and mattes. I have taken some of her information and one of the photos I'm considering showing and have come up with this idea. I will use your comments and adjustments and the photo to the framer for the final product.
So.....all ideas will be greatly appreciated.

http://gallery.photographyreview.com...p?photo=120393

Will the iris be displayed on a white wall? While the white frame is nice, and the black helps add some pop, it doesn't do it justice IMHO. Working with interior decorators through our paint contracting business, my husband and I find that many people are afraid of color. Before hiring a decorator, many have settled for white (or builder brown as I call it) because it is "safe." I would encourage you to dare a little here and go for something other than the "expected." Just my two cents...

At any rate, your photo is beautiful and I hope you do well in the show!

What color frame are you planning on going with Ken? I like what you have here, but I'm wondering if your middle matte (looks black to me) would make the image pop a bit more if you picked up a color from the image. Perhaps a green, or a yellow would bring out a bit more color in the image.

I'm pretty conservative when it come to matting and framing my photos. I pretty much go with a standard snow white matte with a simple black frame. After listening to Cindy the other night, I may have to rethink my approach.

Hey congratulations on the show Ken, one of my new years resolutions is to show some of my pictures this year. You have picked a nice picture to show but maybe you should play about with the frame options and see if you can't find something better than the standard safe option.

Hi all, and thanks for the advice.
Shebang, I'll have to go look at the wall it's going to be hung on. I've only been in the coffee house once or twice and don't remember it's color. As for my color choices, I was trying to use some of the advice given to us by a local framer who has museum experience and is well respected for her framing and matting.

Martin, Thanx for the congrats. This is a group showing for our local photography club and I will probably only show one photo, maybe 2 if only a few of us decide to show. To answer you and Michael, who will probably have a few in the show as well, I hadn't considered a frame, but was considering going with just a matte display. But maybe I should reconsider. I guess, as mentioned to shebang, I should get down to the coffee shop and really look at what is displayed there now!!!
Michael, I love your online displays. Of course, I've never seen anything in person until recently. I still use Mikes Framer. Is that what you are still using? I really need to learn to use it better as this particular frame was an accident and I'm trying to learn what I did to get it this way. I was trying to add depth and I think I succeeded, but not sure how I did it. I did save this, so I can repeat it.
Again everyone, I will take your advise and try a little color instead of the black.
Thanx!!

Hey Ken,

Yes, I still use Mikes Framer for the images I post on this site. I pretty much use the defaults with a black frame and white matte. That is the way I frame my actual prints as well. I did use a dark green frame on a recent image, but other than that, they are all black.

If you go with just a matte and no frame, do you have a way of hanging the image?

Well, actually, I hadn't even thought that far ahead...see...that's why I hang out here...hahaha...you guys are awesome and always give me great advice!!!! This will be the first time I've ever shown anything except online...so I'm learning everything step by step!!!

Hi Ken

First of all, good luck with the show - it's always nice to see your work being viewed (and hopefully admired!) by strangers.

Secondly, please be a little careful about the use of colour. It does sometimes work, but not always. The reason the "safe" neutral colours are usual is because they do not detract from the image, which colour in the framing can easily do. I am not saying that colour wouldn't work - just that it often doesn't. When I have been in this position I have sometimes done a printed mock up of frame and image and put it on my mantlepiece for a few days to see if I can live with it.

Cheers
Mike

I agree with Mike, most gallery pieces here in Rome are simple white mattes with black frames.

Could I suggest that you send a copy of all of the documentation from the exhibition to places of significance? Document everthing.

Everything from the invitations, exhibition price lists and catalogues, your thoughts and your fellow contributing artist's comments, on the works and concepts. All press releases and press critiques as well , if there are some. They should also be sent.

Who knows what you'll be doing with your art in 50 years from now ... do you?

Your documentation and the notes from your shows are very important. You could become an artist of influence.

I have archival boxes at the National Gallery of Australia that I put my exhibition notes, and posters and whatever else in. I've had the boxes at the NGA for many years and they contain everything about my exhibitions, things that are important to me.

I suggest that you go and see the Senior Librarians in you major gallery of National significance and gallery of Regional significance and request to open archival boxes in each ... and start filling them.

It is as easy to do, as I've suggested.

Another tip. If you are still a student, do not say so. Say you are a practicing artist. Students are dime a dozen and dismissed readily. Artists especially long term artists are very few and are not dismissed by historians or Senior Librarians.

If you are in a collection even a Gallery's library collection, it will not be long before a curator comes to look at the new artist. Just in case they want to move a library collection to the permanent collection ... but that might take about 15 years and several assessments later. Or you might be good and be given an accession number for your works quickly.

Get into the system early. Once you are in a National Collection, you do not have to organize your shows ... what you do, is knock back the offers.

Warren.

Didache...mjs1973 and I are members of our local photography club and we had presentation on framing and matting. The artist who gave it supports your views on color, but, she also said that sometimes you may want to "highlight" some of your tones by adding a little color. I like your idea about putting them on your mantle for a few days. That is my thought for placing this here so that not only can I look at it a bit, but so that my friends can give some more ideas!!!

Greg, the artist mentioned above is in agreement with you on the black frames and white mattes. She learned her trade in a museum and is very knowledgeable. I too like the black and white. In the past I have tried some other digital mattes and wasn't real pleased. I have had the best luck with the basic black and white.

WW...Awesome suggestion!!!!! Something I don't think many of us ever would have thought of. As for this show, I will only be showing 1 or 2 of my photos along with photos from other club members. It will be held at a local coffee shop. We live in an area that is very "arts friendly". Which is very nice.
I wonder if your suggestion would be helpful in the VF forum for others to see.
Again, thanx to all for your suggestions. They are extremely helpful!!!

Ken, you are welcome.

Warren.

Ken,

Not trying to hijack your thread, but wanted to let you know. There is a show opening at the Nohr Gallery in the Ullsvik Center on the UW-P campus next Wednesday. You may want to go check it out to get some ideas. There is an opening reception from 5-7 Wednesday night. I have 3 pieces in the show and plan on being there for the reception. I know Steve was planning on submitting some of his work for consideration too.

:confused:

Honest question, but maybe a dumb, honest question:

I'll be the first to say this is all new to me, so I'm likely showing it, but Ken said he is hanging his work in a coffee shop. So why is a museum format so important? Other than not having to reframe when he does land in a museum? And making a best effort to appeal to the museum folk who may drink coffee there?

I don't think it's a dumb question. For me, it comes down to personal preference. I don't like to get bogged down with trying to come up with different framing combinations, so I keep everything very simple.

I also think it looks very nice, and clean when you see several pieces displayed together that are framed in the same manner. I currently have a selection of my work on display. There is one photo that I was planning on displaying as part of this show, but I choose not to because of the frame. This image is in a wooden frame without a matte. (It was framed for display in my house.) Everything else is framed in a black metal frame with a white matte. The image in the wooden frame stuck out like a sore thumb when displayed with the rest of my work.

The end result is also something to consider. If you have a place picked out for your piece to hang in your home after the show, I would consider what it's going to look like there when choosing the frame/matte.

It's a very subjective thing, like anything else related to art. So go with whatever YOU like.

I use black frames with white mats with the inter 1/4 inch mat black again. To me this sets off the photo. This also eliminates customers saying that particular color of frame will clash with my decor. Black and white will go just about anywhere and look good, Jeff

Okay, that makes sense. Thanks.

I guess my thinking is too small -- my current goal is just getting ONE picture I would consider framing :D

hehe Shebang...that's my problem...finding one I want to hang. But I like the one I've chosen and hope it does well. Especially when going up against photos by Michael and some of our other members who are excellent photographers.