Craig Sterling
Participant
Hi everyone!
A quick background. Many years ago, I was a full-time framer and manager of a small frame shop/gallery in Germantown, MD. During my time there, I was assigned by the owners to check out PPFA and how they could benefit the business. Well, little the owners know that PPFA would become invaluable to me for many, many years. When the business closed in 1998, I moved to a position with the Federal Government working with a collection of works on paper. Although my title has changed a few times, I still work for the same program and love working with art on paper.
Today we received three relief prints from a local gallery. The show had recently been taken down and, as always, we ask for any art we hope to purchase to be unframed. When it is unframed, I can better assess the condition of the art and substrate. The pieces we received today had been floated and looked quite nice in their frame. However, the mount method would make most anyone on this forum cringe. The monotypes were printed on BFK Rives…which is a soft and supple paper and takes ink well. The float was accomplished by using A-26 1" white artist's tape rolled into balls on the back of the art. The tape circles/smashed ovals were at least 2 1/2" long. There were five tape balls per artwork…including one in the very center of the print.
I called the gallery where they were purchased and spoke to the owner who assured me his framer only frames to the art using the highest conservation methods. I gently told him otherwise and asked for the framer's contact info. At the time, I didn't know it was A-26 tape, just a plasticized carrier tape with non-water soluble adhesive. The framer called and we had a pleasant conversation. He used the tape to "hinge" the art because he was instructed it was "archival" by the local frame supplier. He promised to send me the catalog page to prove it is an "archival" product. I chatted with him for quite some time about "archival" and learned that he had only used paper and paste hinges once and had to buy the art after destroying it while trying to remove a hinge he had applied.
During our conversation, I asked him if he had heard of PPFA. He said, "yes". I thought this was good. I then told him that PPFA offers a number of classes at the convention and that he should be placed on the local mailing list for events and training near him. I told him about the wonderful resources we have in the DC area to help him learn how to better frame…Hugh Phibbs, Ellen Collins, etc. He thanked me for the information, but I sensed that he had no interest in following through with our local chapter or education. I plan to stop by his shop sometime soon to say, "hello". I'll give him contact info for our chapter. I'll also pass his info to our chapter leaders.
The reason why I titled this thread as "a horse to water" is because I truly think this framer knows where the water is, has now been invited, but will not drink. The evidence of this was how we ended our conversation. After speaking about the better mounting methods and the resources available to him, he asked that I print the catalog page of tapes he was going to email to me and circle the ones he can use to mount fine art on paper.
A quick background. Many years ago, I was a full-time framer and manager of a small frame shop/gallery in Germantown, MD. During my time there, I was assigned by the owners to check out PPFA and how they could benefit the business. Well, little the owners know that PPFA would become invaluable to me for many, many years. When the business closed in 1998, I moved to a position with the Federal Government working with a collection of works on paper. Although my title has changed a few times, I still work for the same program and love working with art on paper.
Today we received three relief prints from a local gallery. The show had recently been taken down and, as always, we ask for any art we hope to purchase to be unframed. When it is unframed, I can better assess the condition of the art and substrate. The pieces we received today had been floated and looked quite nice in their frame. However, the mount method would make most anyone on this forum cringe. The monotypes were printed on BFK Rives…which is a soft and supple paper and takes ink well. The float was accomplished by using A-26 1" white artist's tape rolled into balls on the back of the art. The tape circles/smashed ovals were at least 2 1/2" long. There were five tape balls per artwork…including one in the very center of the print.
I called the gallery where they were purchased and spoke to the owner who assured me his framer only frames to the art using the highest conservation methods. I gently told him otherwise and asked for the framer's contact info. At the time, I didn't know it was A-26 tape, just a plasticized carrier tape with non-water soluble adhesive. The framer called and we had a pleasant conversation. He used the tape to "hinge" the art because he was instructed it was "archival" by the local frame supplier. He promised to send me the catalog page to prove it is an "archival" product. I chatted with him for quite some time about "archival" and learned that he had only used paper and paste hinges once and had to buy the art after destroying it while trying to remove a hinge he had applied.
During our conversation, I asked him if he had heard of PPFA. He said, "yes". I thought this was good. I then told him that PPFA offers a number of classes at the convention and that he should be placed on the local mailing list for events and training near him. I told him about the wonderful resources we have in the DC area to help him learn how to better frame…Hugh Phibbs, Ellen Collins, etc. He thanked me for the information, but I sensed that he had no interest in following through with our local chapter or education. I plan to stop by his shop sometime soon to say, "hello". I'll give him contact info for our chapter. I'll also pass his info to our chapter leaders.
The reason why I titled this thread as "a horse to water" is because I truly think this framer knows where the water is, has now been invited, but will not drink. The evidence of this was how we ended our conversation. After speaking about the better mounting methods and the resources available to him, he asked that I print the catalog page of tapes he was going to email to me and circle the ones he can use to mount fine art on paper.