I am participating in several large art festivals this summer. My work is acrylic on canvas. I have previously sold unframed work, but now I am giving framed pieces a try. My concern is that someone may want to buy a painting unframed. This would mean I would have to be able to easily remove a painting from its frame. Do other artists always put dust covers on the back of their framed pieces? I want my paintings to look professional, but I would also like to be able to accommodate customers and sell paintings.
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Just like you , I started art festivals framing my work. I learned if you are selling higher-end original paintings, my experience has been that people want to see the sides as a small guarantee they are originals and not just an enhanced print that was mass produced, and then hidden behind the edging of a frame. Most people want paintings on a 2" thick gallery wrapped canvas with the sides painted. The .75" thick canvas looks amateurish and flimsy for some reason. Half the time the .75 thin canvas warps a little and doesn't even lay flat against the wall. It's fine for high school students on a budget, but not professionals with a price tag over a K. Use the 2" heavy duty.
If you are going to do frames, which I do not recommend, use white or beige. Any colored frame casts a tint over your entire painting and actually changes the image. Let your art be the pop.
Thank you so much for your response!
I agree that the 2" canvases are more heavy duty and look more professional. I have been hesitant to use them for smaller paintings because I am sure framing them would be difficult, if not impossible if a customer chose to frame the painting on their own. I think they are fantastic for larger paintings though. I will start investing in some larger 2" canvases and see what the response is like this summer. Thanks!
You might want to consider using a simple floating frame (e.g. Nielsen Bainbridge). No need for a dust cover. Your canvas stretcher frame just screws in the back of the floating frame. If someone doesn't want the frame, all you would need do is unscrew the canvas from the frame. The image below is for Nielsen but know there are wood options as well. --- L
This would be perfect. Thank you!