PRESERVE AND PROTECT

For several years now, we have had some fun with the month of February by renaming it ‘Frame-uary’ and coming up with a fun promotion that celebrates framing. 

​This year we decided to focus on the preservation and protection aspects of custom framing andoffer an incentive to use conservation and museum grade material.

​All levels of protection are important to consider when you’re custom framing but the one option that will make the most immediate impact is the glass. Upgrading from a standard glass to a conservation will ensure that your photos, art prints, watercolours and just about anything else on paper won’t colour shift or fade.
 
I remember years ago, moving houses and packing the framed photos in our family room. I couldn’t believe how badly their colours had faded! The most severely affected photos were the ones in sepia tones, which were now more accurately described as ‘aubergine’! I said to myself the same thing that we hear time and time again from our clientele…"they weren’t in direct sunlight, why would they change?’

Nowadays we know just how dangerous even indirect UV light can be to our skin, not even thinking twice about applying sunscreen on a cloudy summer day. The same principals apply to what’s hanging on our walls. The sun may not be shining on it, but the UV rays are still bouncing around causing damage. Using a conservation grade glass blocks 99% of these harmful rays and can make all the difference in protecting the integrity of your framed pictures.
 
Now that you’ve protected against potential risks outside of your frame, what about what’s happening inside of it? A quick and delightful read of preservation guidelines for matting and framing from the library of congress takes an in-depth look at the subject, but if you don't have the time to read through it, the message is basically this; if archival quality materials aren’t used inside the framing and conservative mounting methods aren’t applied, then it is at risk of deteriorating from within. Simply put, if it can’t breath, there is a risk of mold developing, if it can’t move, it will buckle within, if non acid-free material (like the wood frame, standard tapes, standard mats) are in contact with the item, then the acids within these elements will leach out and stain, or worse destroy the framed artwork.
 
I’m not trying to scare you with this but if you don’t take advantage of our Frame-aury, promotion your artwork is doomed.

Okay…that was over the top, I apologize.

Frame-uary’s focus on preservation and protection has been a great conversation starter within our shoppes this month. As consumers, we are too often ready to dismiss an upgrade as an upsell. With 50% off conservation materials this month, our hope is to eliminate that factor and concentrate on the benefits and longevity that conservation framing will bring to your treasures.

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