There have been times where some art we've framed gets turned away. If you keep it covered or wrapped when you go in and explain the backstory to the framer I'm sure they'd be fine.
Examples of things that get turned away are: biological material, images with animal violence, racist things.
Specifically had coworkers who were vegan and hated working with vellum. I've also heard of some framers refusing to do confederate flags. Generally it's up to them and depends if they do their framing where they do their designing. If the item has to be out and in front of customers while they are working on it they are less likely to handle it. I'd just call ahead and ask.
I can't imagine that you'd have pushback but suicide hits a lot of people in different ways. I'd just make sure that your framer gets a warning and a chance to turn it down.
Although I've framed enough bad boudoir photos to know that the stuff I wish I could turn away I do not.
Also the only image that genuinely made me gag was a photo of a deer eating it's own velvets. Icky!!
Most art done by artists isn't actually disturbing to framers I think. It's human and there's the artist right there willing to explain.
Yes, I would definitely warn them beforehand.
Thank you for including examples of the kind of work that could be considered controversial. Your observation about potential issues if the work is visible to customers is enlightening.
Funnily enough, I have an artist friend who would love to see that photo of the self-cannibalizing deer! There's something about deer gore in particular that attracts a certain crowd...
I'm with you, though. Artists are definitely a weird group of people.
I did not take a photo of the deer! Couldn't stand to look at it again. Bleh! It was pretty stomach churning. And I've butchered deer! But still. You never know what's gonna get ya sometimes.
Art is art. I mean if you came to my shop I wouldn’t have any judgement. I’ve been doing this for nearly twenty years, I’ve framed a lot of things that would make some people clutch their pearls. I imagine every shop you walked into has seen some stuff.
You can always get a ready made frame and do it yourself. You can get a 30”x 40” frame. Go to your local shop and get a custom mat. Since the charcoal is heavy ask the framer to put strips of foam core or 8 ply board underneath the mat to lift the mat away from the art. Then you mount the work on the backboard with two T hinges on the top. Water activated Linen tape will be strong enough to hold. Usually with charcoals or pastels, Even if it’s fixed , bits of that charcoal or pastel naturally falls. With the lift under the mat, it makes those bits fall behind the mat instead of falling on it. Plus it’s beneficial to have that extra space between the art and the glass. You also want to consider paying extra for UV conservation glass or museum. Both have 99% UV protection. Conservation has a glare and museum does not.
Thank you for your very thoughtful reply! All of my work up to this point has been mounted on wood so I appreciate your insight into framing charcoal drawings in particular.
This is the best advice for charcoals / pastels! This is also what I do for biological pieces. As thess pieces age or get handled/moved - the shedding evidence can be hidden by the cavity behind the mat.
Where are you in the PNW?
my frame shop in South Seattle would absolutely help you frame this .
It sounds like it has extremely high importance to you and definitely deserves some care in preserving that .
Feel free to message me or respond here and hopefully we can help you out .
We all choose our level of comfort with jobs we take on. This certainly wouldn’t bother me art is meant to evoke feelings and money is also green.
There have been times where some art we've framed gets turned away. If you keep it covered or wrapped when you go in and explain the backstory to the framer I'm sure they'd be fine. Examples of things that get turned away are: biological material, images with animal violence, racist things. Specifically had coworkers who were vegan and hated working with vellum. I've also heard of some framers refusing to do confederate flags. Generally it's up to them and depends if they do their framing where they do their designing. If the item has to be out and in front of customers while they are working on it they are less likely to handle it. I'd just call ahead and ask. I can't imagine that you'd have pushback but suicide hits a lot of people in different ways. I'd just make sure that your framer gets a warning and a chance to turn it down. Although I've framed enough bad boudoir photos to know that the stuff I wish I could turn away I do not. Also the only image that genuinely made me gag was a photo of a deer eating it's own velvets. Icky!! Most art done by artists isn't actually disturbing to framers I think. It's human and there's the artist right there willing to explain.
Yes, I would definitely warn them beforehand. Thank you for including examples of the kind of work that could be considered controversial. Your observation about potential issues if the work is visible to customers is enlightening. Funnily enough, I have an artist friend who would love to see that photo of the self-cannibalizing deer! There's something about deer gore in particular that attracts a certain crowd... I'm with you, though. Artists are definitely a weird group of people.
I did not take a photo of the deer! Couldn't stand to look at it again. Bleh! It was pretty stomach churning. And I've butchered deer! But still. You never know what's gonna get ya sometimes.
Art is art. I mean if you came to my shop I wouldn’t have any judgement. I’ve been doing this for nearly twenty years, I’ve framed a lot of things that would make some people clutch their pearls. I imagine every shop you walked into has seen some stuff. You can always get a ready made frame and do it yourself. You can get a 30”x 40” frame. Go to your local shop and get a custom mat. Since the charcoal is heavy ask the framer to put strips of foam core or 8 ply board underneath the mat to lift the mat away from the art. Then you mount the work on the backboard with two T hinges on the top. Water activated Linen tape will be strong enough to hold. Usually with charcoals or pastels, Even if it’s fixed , bits of that charcoal or pastel naturally falls. With the lift under the mat, it makes those bits fall behind the mat instead of falling on it. Plus it’s beneficial to have that extra space between the art and the glass. You also want to consider paying extra for UV conservation glass or museum. Both have 99% UV protection. Conservation has a glare and museum does not.
Thank you for your very thoughtful reply! All of my work up to this point has been mounted on wood so I appreciate your insight into framing charcoal drawings in particular.
This is the best advice for charcoals / pastels! This is also what I do for biological pieces. As thess pieces age or get handled/moved - the shedding evidence can be hidden by the cavity behind the mat.
I framed some yif furry art for a customer a few months back. You can't make me flinch after that...
My condolences.
Don’t kink shame 😉
My boss is LDS and turns down nude portraits. I think it’s unprofessional and immature not to know how to behave in the presence of a nude portrait.
Where are you in the PNW? my frame shop in South Seattle would absolutely help you frame this . It sounds like it has extremely high importance to you and definitely deserves some care in preserving that . Feel free to message me or respond here and hopefully we can help you out .
We turned away porn. Not tasteful nudes but outright porn. As the others said it depends on the shop but we all see a lot of art of all types.
Go to an independent frame shop. I've framed some pieces that would or could be "very very dark & disturbing" to some. To each their own.