Framing Products - Riverside Art
A frame serves multiple purposes, both aesthetic and functional. It lends strength to the frame package, adding structure that allows the art to be protected from the environment. A multitude of styles, colors, textures, and sizes are available in frame choices today, so your art can be framed to coordinate with virtually any décor. Frame styles can even be combined, stacking one style with another, to create endless possibilities for a truly unique design.
Glass plays a key roll in the protection of art by creating a barrier, which protects the art from the environmental contaminates. Manufacturers have introduced conservation quality UV-filtering glass which has an invisible coating on the inside of the glass, blocking about 98% of harmful ultraviolet rays, as compared to the 50% blocked by regular picture glass. Most people, when they hear the term “UV rays,” automatically think of sunlight; however, there are still UV rays present in our indoor lighting as well.
As we become more energy conscious, and begin switching over to more fluorescent lighting, this becomes more of a concern, as there is a higher concentration of these harmful rays than in incandescent lighting. Additionally, TruVue® has introduced Museum Glass® which combines the UV-filtering qualities of the conservation glass with unique anti-reflection properties that eliminate the appearance of a frosted surface.
The last fifteen years have seen drastic changes in the materials that custom framers use today. With the introduction of the Alphamat® Artcare™ System, Nielsen & Bainbridge matting can now serve more than just an aesthetic purpose in frame design. The exclusive, patented paper technology actually prolongs the life of prints or photos. It traps pollution gases and holds them away from artwork. It also traps and eliminates acids within the framed piece, plus harmful vapors from common household products like cleaners and paints. While the composition of mat board has improved, so has the selection of colors and finished. Fabric mats and those with faux finishes can add visual interest and texture to the overall frame design.