Professional matting techniques influence the ways people view and react to artwork.
Matting techniques can cause a small picture to seem larger and more dramatic, a dark work of art appear lighter or even turn a regular small postal card into force majeure. Really! Matboards also highlight a particular color of the framed work of art or even match the room decor.
Mats are used for different purposes. Choosing which type of matboard to use depends on whether you are framing for decoration or sentimental reasons.
Leeching occurs as some picture frame mat supplies contain acid. Commonly cardboard and acid containing papers cause this phenomenon that draws the acid out of the matting material by your artwork. This makes your artwork yellow as it becomes older. Although ideal for work that is for decoration purposes only, it is also used extensively as precuts by photographers who sell their work, art gallery samples, street artists selling their work framed and for framing items that have little material or sentimental value.
Acid-free matting material is the other option used for framing works of art. Made from cotton or rag, it will not leach and thus serves as excellent protection for valuable and/or sentimental art pieces. If you have more art works than you can hang, acid-free matting is great for archiving your works without worrying about acid leaching. As with most things, the quality of acid-free matting differs amongst manufacturers. It is a good idea to question your framer or the gallery you are getting art work from for clarifying what you need to use as matboard.
Mats are used to keep the artwork from adhering to the glazing (glass or acrylic).
Your artwork can be damaged if it comes into direct contact with the glazing that is there to protect it. It happens just like a photograph that you attempt to peel off the glazing it is held in. After time, it cannot be done without ruining the photo. Pasted will, over time, have their pigments pulled from the picture surface by built up static electricity that is too close to the glazing. Always use mats to protect your framed art work!
Protecting your artwork is very important. Knowing about matting is the first line of protection. Make sure that you take other steps as well. For instance, using the highest quality cotton matboard does nothing if the art work has highly acidic cardboard for its backing. High quality, conservation-grade material are available for each step in framing art work; forgetting only one can defeat all other measures taken.
Now that you know how to preserve your art work, get out there and do it!
