TIP #2: FRAMING PASTELS FOR COMPETITIONS & EXHIBITIONS
Part 1--Use Tend when Glazing with Plexiglas : Competition requirements
often prohibit glass. Besides, it's cheaper to ship Plexiglas on paintings, shippers
don't object, and there is little risk of breakage. To successfully use Plexiglas on pastel paintings, all
you need is a terrific anti-static plastic cleaner called Tend. Do two or three applications per
side, to guarantee a static-free surface.
I have successfully shipped my Plexiglas glazed
pastel paintings to over 20 national and international exhibitions, using this
product to treat the plastic. Very little "ghost" or dust appears on
the glazing, even when the painting is handled badly enough to pop out of the
frame! Tend is available from plastics
dealers who construct shelving and display units for commercial use. It's made
by Regal Plastics in Littleton, CO, phone 303.794.9823. (And, no, I don't get a
commission!)
PART 2, "Framing Pastels Without a
Mat."
Materials: strips of mat board,
plexiglas, miniglue gun, wooden frame with 5/16" rabbet (part where
artwork goes), framer's tack gun, small eye screws, hanging wire
Step 1: If artwork is on paper, it needs to be mounted to a
piece of foam core, masonite or other rigid board FLUSH to the edges of the
board. My work is usually done on pumice board that is prepared on a smooth
masonite surface (see tip #1). I work all the way to the edges.
Step 2: Using a wooden frame the exact size of the finished
artwork with a rabbet of at least 5/16", lay frame face down on padded
work surface. Lay treated plexiglas, cut to fit, inside the frame. The rabbet
needs to be deep enough to take the plexiglas, mounted work, and mat strips,
and be tacked into place in the frame.
Step 3: Cut four 1/8" wide strips of mat board to fit
flush inside the frame. These can be butted. They won't show. (These are your
"spacer strips" that take the place of a mat to keep the glass off
the artwork.)
Step 4: Using a mini glue gun, tack the plexiglas to the
frame with three or four QUICK dots on the edge of the plexiglas. Try to keep
the tip of the glue gun close to the glass so you don't make "strings".
QUICKLY lay a strip of mat board on top of the glue flush to the edge of the
frame. This will create a channel for the pastel dust to fall into between the
painting and the plexiglas.
Step 5: Lay artwork carefully on top of the
"sandwich". Using a framer's tack gun, tack the work into the frame
all the way around.
Step 6: Add eye screws to the sides of the rabbet about
1/3rd of the way down. String wire fairly tautly through the eyes. A taut wire
hangs better than a slack one.
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