PHOTO MATTING

by Ginny Santora

The subject of our November lecture meeting was "Photo Matting"; the lecturer was Marilyn Lapidus. Marilyn has been working in the picture framing industry for over 20 years. She holds a BA in Fine Art from Kean College and is a Certified Picture Framer through the Professional Picture Framers Association. Eleven years ago she started her own business, Framing by Marilyn, in Chester, NJ. Until recently, she served on the Board of the NJ Professional Picture Framers Association. She has instructed at many of the seminars that were run by that organization. For two years she did framing for Stoneledge Fine Arts Conservation, a restoration service.

Marilyn spoke first about choosing mats. Most competitions insist on white mats. Museums also use white mats with frames in order to keep their costs down. For her own purposes, Marilyn stays away from white and black mats. She feels that it takes away from the picture since the viewer ends up looking at the mat. A subtle gray mat is even better than black or white. Bainbridge is one company that sells mats, but there are others. Basically, there are 2 kinds -- acid-free (paper) and rag mats. Acid-free are made from wood pulp and are chemically treated to be free of acid. Rag mats start as cotton fiber and then are buffered with calcium carbonate. Marilyn feels these are the best. They, however, come in only 15 colors.

The dimensions of the mat should be equidistant all the way around, but the mat can be bottom-heavy, if you like it that way. A mat less than 1 inch wide does not look good; 2-_ inches is the basic width that Marilyn uses. To affix your picture to the mat, you can use Mylar acid-free corners, as these put no adhesive which would damage your work onto your picture. Marilyn advises against spray mounting or using tapes. If doing Cibachromes, be aware that they are printed on a plastic base, are very delicate and are hard to work with. Acid-free tape is very good for hinging. Always hinge on the longest side.

There are different glazing options including reflection control and UV filtering which stops colors from fading over time. Acrylic is OK, but keep it away from direct contact with your picture. You will need space behind the bevel if there is no mat. Museum glass is heat coated onto the glass and is very costly. Frames should be matched to the art, not the décor of the room. Do keep in mind, however, where the picture is going since it should harmonize with other elements in your home. As a good start, you should ask yourself what you want it to say on the wall.

Marilyn brought a Dexter mat cutter and demonstrated its use. The cutter was passed around for everyone to take a look, and the club members later had an opportunity to try their hand at mat cutting. The Dexter mat cutter is recommended by Marilyn as the tool to use to obtain professional results. The cutter holds the blade at a 45 degree angle; Marilyn suggests changing the blade every couple of mats. Logan also makes a good mat cutter. Basically, cutting mats requires the following steps:

1. Using FoamCor on the bottom as a base, draw a line on the mat.
2. Place the blade slightly below the line.
3. Using a metal ruler, line up the blade against it, stopping where you want.
4. Be careful not to overcut or undercut. Marilyn also passed around examples of poorly cut mats which exhibited undercutting and overcutting.

Marilyn did a great job of explaining the matting process. Novices and veterans alike coming away with some valuable information. As a result, I think we are going to see some interesting matting jobs in our upcoming competitions!