Framing 101 - Day 1

     Today we start the process of framing one of my paintings to be exhibited at the Coors Western Art Show in Denver.  My first order of business is matte selection and cutting a foam board backing.

     Here's my selection of backing board along with a neutral linen matte manufactured by Bainbridge.  It's a nice warm white that looks good on most of my work.
     Once I've selected my matte, I must decide the width of the matte.  I typically use a 4" width.  This means I will have 4 inches of matte surrounding my painting.

     In the above photo I've set my matte cutter to the 4 inch designation and proceed to mark the back of my matte with a light pencil.  Once all 4 sides are marked I use the cutting head to carefully make all 4 cuts and complete the matte.  (See below).

     With the matte cutting completed, I quickly check the matte with my painting to see if I have any measurement errors.

     It's a precise fit, and I'm ready for the next stage, which we'll tackle in tomorrow's post: the fillet.  See ya then!

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