Sometimes a piece comes in and the direction is clear from the start.
This one came in on aged paper with torn edges, rendered in warm sepia tones. A skull, quiet and a little unsettling in the way good art can be. The kind of piece that does not need a holiday to justify itself, but fits the season well.
Custom picture framing in San Francisco is what we do at Underglass, and this project is a good example of letting the art lead the design.
The Piece: Sepia, Aged Paper, Torn Edges
The artwork has a warm, yellowed cast and edges that are torn rather than cut. It reads as old. That sense of age is part of what the piece is doing, and we wanted the framing to respect that rather than clean it up.
The torn edges were not something to hide. They were something to show.
The Frame Design: Float, Mat, and Maple
Because the torn edges are part of the artwork, we floated the piece rather than fitting it behind a mat. Floating means the art sits on top of the mat with the edges fully visible, held in place with reversible conservation hinges. Nothing gets covered.
For the mat, we went with an off-white field. Warm enough to sit with the sepia tones, simple enough to stay out of the way. The mat gives the piece room to breathe without pulling attention.
The frame is maple with a visible grain. The warmth of the wood and the natural texture of the grain felt right next to the aged paper. It holds the piece without fighting it.
Conservation Framing for a Fragile Piece
Aged paper needs careful handling. We used reversible archival hinges to mount the piece, so it can be unframed later without any damage to the artwork. Archival backing, Museum glazing: 99% UV filtering to protect the warm tones from fading and almost no reflection.
The same conservation standard we use for fine art originals. The piece deserves it.
The Season for It
Fall is a natural time to frame things. The light changes, the evenings get longer, and what is on your walls starts to matter more. A piece like this one fits that mood well.
If you have something waiting, now is a good time to bring it in.
Bring Us Your Piece
We have been doing custom picture framing in San Francisco for over 40 years, out of our Castro District shop. Come in with your artwork and we will work through the design together.
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Open 7 days · Castro District · San Francisco