A very nice well reasoned post Bogdan. As you say, it is an often neglected
but hugely important area.
I agree with you too about 10x8 on 20x16 mounts. And 16x12 on 24x20 looks
good. What size do you matt 20x16s? Using the same ration & proportions can
look wrong sometimes I find.
My personal taste is for a very soft ivory white rather than pure white,
which I find too bright for my work, although good for cold tone pure B&W.
There is nothing quite like the black frame for B&W prints. Like the little
black dress it is a classic. Quite a lot of my work is delicate in tone and
colour (toned lith etc) and these I find are a bit overwhelmed by black
frames so in my last show I bought 70 large brushed metal semi matt neutral
grey/silver/pewter frames which worked OK. Quite understated. A lot of
people commented favourably on the frames (hopefully they looked at the
prints too). However, a gallery owner who came to see the show said that if
she were to take the show she would want different frames. Expensive to
replace.
Thank you for raising the importance of presentation for exhibiting.
Tim
-----Original Message-----
From: pure-silver-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:pure-silver-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bogdan Karasek
Sent: 08 January 2010 00:43
To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: Photography (because of Pure-Silver)
HI all,
With all this talk of Vernissages and hanging photos on a gallery wall,
I just wanted to share some observations that came from hanging monthly
exhibitions over a three year period. I was on the board of a local
co-op artist run gallery. One of my many jobs was doing the monthly
hanging of whatever was going to be on exhibition, various size
paintings, etchings, photographs, large and small, sculptures, large and
small. I also documented every exhibition by taking slides of all
hanging works and the gallery space itself. But that's another story.
Matting is very important. It is the delimitation of your image, it also
acts as the space on which you are exhibiting your image. As an
experiment, take a 8x10 print, and tape it to various size matte boards,
on 11x14, 16x20. Tack the boards with images to the wall, stand back
a bit and compare the images. You will soon see that one has more of an
impact that the other. Personally, I now print 8x10 and mat in 16x20.
The wide space around the image draws the observer into the image. I
even mat 4x5 and 5x7 contacts in 16x20 or 11x14, depending on the image.
And stay with "Museum white", avoid the creamy off-white boards
because they turn ugly yellow under certain lighting conditions and it
really looks bad. Be consistent, same boards for all three prints. And
use acid free boards. be good to your print ;) Somebody might buy it
and you don't want it degrading in a few years.
Of course, the next problem is the frame. I found that nothing looks
worse than an unframed matted photo on a wall. There is also the
difficulty of hanging the prints without a frame. The frame is an
important element in the presentation of the photograph. It is like
little picket fence running around the white space of the mat. You
have created a space for your image which delimits it from the
surrounding space, i.e., the wall, the other photos. Problem is that
you have to take into account the colour and texture of the wall behind
The photograph. If the wall is smooth and white, off- white, then do
not use these frames that are just glass held together with little
clips. They have their place but not if you have a white matte on a
white wall. The photograph will get lost, white on white. You want
that space that holds your photo to stand out, attract attention. So
you get a black wooden frame. Doesn't have to be very large wooden
frame. Enough to separate the image and it's space from the surrounding
white wall. Black is more effective although a blond/brown will work,
depending on the image. But black goes well with the Museum White mat;
like a black tie dinner. At one point, store had a sale and I bought
30 16x20 black wooden frames, just in from China, at$12.oo each. And I
use those for my exhibits. Frame is one inch wide, simple and effective
on a white background. If you have a brick wall, then you can get away
with the frameless glass because the white mat will stand out from the
red brick, also difference in texture, one is smooth, the other rough.
And there are also other considerations, the size of the space,
sometimes a small alcove is better than a long wall, the kind of
lighting. The wrong lighting can ruin an exhibition.
Anyway, I'll stop here. You've got me on a topic that few artists take
the trouble to consider. Since my 3 year stint as "hanger", believe me,
I am very careful about how I present my photographs.
Enough said. Enjoy your show. And, you might be surprised, somebody
might buy a print. Sold two in my first exhibit. Put a little tag,
reverse of a business card, with title, name, medium and PRICE. Don't
be afraid to put a price. And don't be cheap. People see price, they
will know that it is for sale. Nothing crass about selling a
photograph. I'm retired from teaching so I'm independently poor, so it's
not the money, but the fact that somebody cares enough about what I did
that they are willing to spend money to have it. And if there are
several artists, then make trades. I've acquired a quirky interesting
offbeat collection of art works over the years by trading with my
photographs. At the end of a show, I'll ask the artist in question if
they are perhaps interested in one of my works.
My eventual aim is to do what Gertrude Stein once did, as recounted by
Alice B Toklas. Stein had a dinner with about a dozen artists invited
and, instead of place cards on the table as was the custom at the time,
each artist's seat placing was indicated by his work hanging on the wall
behind the chair. Picasso had a Picasso hanging behind him and so on...
Have fun and Good Luck!
Bogdan
Elias Roustom wrote:
Thanks all.
Not the first time, but the first time as a photographer - without the
context of another medium or form. So in a way, yes, the first time.
I'm not counting on any sales though (very optimistic of you). But happy
to have made some photos that I'm confident of.
Dennis, (pre) visualization with a mat is a revelation. I never thought
about it like that before (strictly), but now that you said it, I get it.
E.
On Jan 6, 2010, at 10:55 AM, Bogdan Karasek wrote:
Congratulations!
I take it then that this will be the first time that you are baring
your "soul" in public, and a juried show at that. Opening night
(vernissage) is really the highlight and you are going to feel you
are floating in the stratosphere. And if you sell one, even better,
believe me. It's the strangest feeling of elation when somebody gives
you money for one of your prints because they like it. It's a moment
to cherish.
Good Luck!
Bogdan
elroustom@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Despite the very rare divergence into politics and morals, discussing
the role of photography, the responsibility of its practice, and the
trials and tribulations (why do these always go together) of its
practitioners is good once in a while.
But back to actual practice: for the first time ever I was bold
enough to print, mat and frame three photos for public display - I
roped another list member into joining me as well. A small gallery in
downtown New Bedford had a call for entries for a juried show, and I
got right to work.
A small group of us on the list are also running a negative exchange.
How's it going you guy?
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