How To Care For Your Artwork and Prints

All copyrights are retained by the artist,
Mona Majorowicz of Wild Faces Gallery.

The artwork or content in this lens may not be used or reproduced, either
in part or in whole, without the express written consent from the artist.

1. Acidic Materials. Like cardboard, wood or non-conservation grade matboard are to be avoided for both framing or storage. The acids in these materials cause yellowing and discoloration and will eventually ruin the artwork.

2. Temperature. Quick shifts between extreme temperatures should be avoided. Ideal temps run between 50 to 70 degrees. Heat will speed deterioration and cold causes brittleness.

3. Humidity. As with temperature, extreme shifts in humidity should be avoided. Too much dampness causes papers and canvas to expand. And when the humidity goes down, these items then contract which can cause cracking and warping. Ideal humidity is about 50% to 70%. Any higher promotes mold growth.

4. Light Unless you are storing art in the dark (which is actually recommended for artwork not currently out for sale or display) it will be in some sort of light and all light will cause damage. Light causes fading, and eventually destroys both paper and canvas.

The order of UV damage from light is:
Sunlight, (most harmful)
Fluorescent
Incandescent (least harmful.)

Never store or hang art in direct sunlight. Also at one time it was very much the thing to do, but you should not have a light hung over a painting to showcase it.

Never store or hang where there are dramatic shifts in temperature or humidity Like a basement or attic.

Never hang art over a heater or fireplace that is used.

Likewise never hang art in a kitchen or bathroom, or on an outside wall (kinda hard to avoid that one.)

Never leave artwork in a tube, because it will bend the art, if left over time when unrolled may cause cracking and also because of the acidic cardboard. Always store art flat surrounded with acid free materials. So this also means

Never store artwork in cardboard flats for any lengthy period of time.

To Get You Started, Here's A Few Sample Questions (along with the answers) To Ask Your Framer.

"What is the best mat board to use with this art photograph?" Definitely acid free or museum grade. But there are some mat boards made specifically for photographs.

"What is the difference between conservation glass and regular glass? Conservation Glass blocks between 94 and 97% UV Light. Regular glass blocks 47%.

"Will my art still fade using Conservation Glass?" Yes. All art of value should not be hung in direct sunlight or under flourescents. Conservation Glass will definitely slow down the process of fading though.

"Do I need to have matting on my grandma's needle art?" No. But you do need to have airspace between the glass and the fabric to prevent mold growth. This can be done using archival spacers designed specifically for this purpose.

"If I change my mind and no longer want this framed will I be able to remove it?" Yes! The answer to this question should always be yes. Sometimes to have something framed a certain way this may not be possible but you should know that up front. I have framed all sorts of objects small and large and I always do them so the can removed in the same condition that they were framed.