When to Go Frameless

When to Go Frameless


The edge of the art canvas is usually framed.

At least, it used to be. But now, Im seeing more and more unframed art. 

And Im not talking about art students who dont have the cash to frame what theyve painted.

Im taking about giant canvases hung over drop-dead-gorgeous stone fireplaces in second homes featured in Traditional Home Magazine. So its not about frugality or speed. 

Its about style. And I rather fancy it. Its a contemporary look that fits into almost any decor style.

The frameless look certainly makes DIY decorating a bit easier. Happily, it updates a home that looks stuck in an earlier era.

Imagine the room on the left, and how old school and it would look with a old fashioned frame surrounding that painting of loopy circles.

But the edge of an unframed painting still has to look finished. It should be clean and free of paint drips and stains.

If you stretch a piece of decorative fabric that youve purchased around wooden stretchers, then the design will wrap around the stretchers. But generally, a painting ends at the edge of the front surface. A painting that wraps around the stretchers is often a painting was printed in a factory and then stapled onto stretchers. Not exactly one-of-a kind art.
    
Buying your canvas stretched and ready to go is the simple solution if you want to do your own artwork for staging, but you cant prop up or hang a piece of unframed thin-style canvas board. Your canvas has to have that boxed edge that stretchers provide.

There is an answer to the question, when is it a good idea to skip the frame? The answer is, "Almost anytime!" Most house styles can support this kind of look. Its casual and creates an approachable atmosphere.

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When to Go Frameless