I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were simply stunning. Last week, I saw two pieces of artwork in the library which set me thinking about whether you could successfully frame textile art behind glass.
They were lovely mixed media pieces – mainly stitched (embroidery) works of art with some collage items- paper and film incorporated into them.
I went back a couple of times to admire them because they really had a bold presence in the collection of “art prints”.
Yes, that’s exactly right!!! “Art Prints”!!! That was the collection in which I found the works. Let’s just say, without a doubt, I knew these were not art prints.
The textures are undeniable. Even behind glass! There is absolutely no way they could be prints. And I made sure I let the librarian know that. Upon checking the computer entry, she confirmed I was right. They’re originals, alright.
But what intrigued me though, was that on closer examination, I realized the works were created in 1972 and 1973 by an artist called Carol Dixon (more about Carol later).
The age was interesting but what was even more interesting to me is that the works are matted and framed behind glass.
The advice I’ve always been given about presenting textile artwork is “not to frame textile art behind glass”. So, you can imagine how much my curiosity was piqued to see a 40 plus-year-old textile work still looking bright and vibrant behind glass.
Interesting Textile Art Display Options
Textile art presentations can take on different forms. And for me, my personal preferences are stretching textile art over wooden frames or finishing the edges with facings. But when I saw how poignant the textures and vibrant the colors of these two works were behind glass, my mind started racing. There’s no doubt in my mind, that I’d appreciate my work presented this way.
Framing makes them look very professional and adds a perception of value to them.
Knowing me, I couldn’t stop thinking about whether to frame textile art behind glass or not. So, I decided to do an in-depth research on the topic: “should you frame textile art behind glass or not”. That way, I could finally put this question to rest once and for all.
But before we get to the conclusions on whether to frame textile art behind glass or not, let’s for a moment talk about the woman whose work started off my curiosity – Carol Dixon.
The Artist – Carol Dixon
Carol’s work is vibrant, dynamic, bold and full of life. She creates embroidery collages with mixed media and she also does oil paintings.
On Carol’s website, she talks about how she started her journey into the textile arts. She explains that her Russian-born grandmother was the one who taught her to embroider.
Later, she moved from embroidering tablecloths and towels to her own form of embroidered collages where she incorporates found fabrics, papers, objects, and photo fragments into her work.
This part of her story really endeared her to my heart because it reminds me of my own beginnings. I bought my first sewing machine because I’d taken an order to monogram handkerchiefs for a family friend.
After that project, I played around with embroidering towels, baby stuff and other things. Then finally, I decided to put my sewing machine to more creative uses and as they say, …, “the rest is history”.
The second thing that makes me love Carol Dixon’s work is what caught my attention in the first place – the vibrant colors. I love her color choices. You all know how much I love bold colors and Carol does a fantastic job with them.
Visit Carol Dixon’s website to view her work. They’re fabulous. The photography is great. It’s well worth all of the 1 minute 25 seconds it takes to view her slide show. You’ll also notice that she frames her embroidered collages in a unique way. They are all presented in circular mats and ultimately framed behind glass.
How to Decide Whether or Not to Frame Textile Art Behind Glass
So that brings us back to the question, “Should you frame textile art behind glass?” Carol Dixon does it and she’s been doing it for decades. Why shouldn’t you?
Here are the noteworthy points from my research. Before we get to that, let me define a term you’ll see often – “glazing”. Glazing means to fit with glass or glass-like material. That is to say “to frame behind glass.”
Now to the research results: According to the conservators at the Textile Museum at The George Washington University, there are 4 things you need to think about if you want to frame textile art behind glass.
4 Things to Consider When Deciding to Frame Textile Art Behind Glass
- Location: Where will the textile artwork be displayed? If the work will be displayed in direct sunlight, then it is recommended to frame textile art behind glass.
- Size: How large is your textile piece? If it is larger than 4’ x 8’ it will be difficult to find glass bigger than this size. Moreover, a large piece of glass will add to the weight of your work, making it challenging to transport. If you’ve got smaller pieces, then you can frame textile art behind glass.
- Environmental Control: What are the conditions where your work will be displayed? If dust, dirt, and smoke are likely to be in the environment, then it is recommended to frame textile art behind glass.
- Drape: Often textile works are wavy and have three-dimensional form. If this character is of importance to you, then do not frame textile art behin-d glass.
No artwork, no matter the medium, whether textile or otherwise should ever come into contact with the glass (or glazing material).
First, let’s look at how to choose your glazing material. The conservators at The Minnesota Historical Society give you these glazing options.
3 Glazing Choices to Frame Textile Art Behind Glass
- UV Filtering Plexiglas
- Ultra Violet (UV) Filtering Glass
- UV Filtering Non-Glare Glass
The advantages of Plexiglas are its lightweight and the fact that it’s non-breakable. It’s got some disadvantages though. Its electrostatic properties can pull loose strands of textile fibers to the inside of Plexiglas frames.
Now let’s move on to how to prevent your textile artwork from touching the glazing material (glass or Plexiglas).
Before we do that, let’s answer the question of why no artwork should ever touch the glazing material (glass or other framing material).
How to Frame Textile Art Behind Glass Without Destroying the Textiles
“In high humidity, mold can grow in areas where the glazing materials come in contact with the textile. Additionally, salts contained in the textile can transfer to the glass, absorb additional moisture, and cause increased degradation of the textile” ~ The Textile Museum
For the above reasons, you need to make sure the glazing material doesn’t touch your textiles.
And now, here are two materials you can use to prevent the glazing material from touching your textile artwork and destroying it.
Two Materials to Separate the Glazing Material from your Textiles are:
- A window mat (like those used in mounting prints and as shown in Carol Dixon’s work)
- A Plexiglas® spacer constructed into the frame.
A conservator or your framer can help you decide which method would be the best for your specific textile.
So here you have it, my friends. You can frame your textile art behind glass if you want to. Granted, it involves a lot more considerations and may be pricier than your current method of presentation. But the simple fact is, it can be done very safely. Just make sure your work doesn’t come into contact with the glass, and your mat and backing boards are acid-free.
Moreso, if you do like the look and the perception framing gives your work, then there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t do it.
If you’re interested in other options for presenting your textile artwork, in a polished finish, check out Facing Art Quilts: Simplified.
I must say I’m so glad I happened to come upon Carol Dixon’s work in the library. I got to see the work of a very talented woman and was inspired to go learn so much about alternative ways of presenting textile artwork.
Your Turn
What is your favorite method for presenting your textile artwork? Do you frame your work behind glass? Will you do so now that you know more about it?
Warmest Regards,
Del Thomas – Textile Art Collector
Del Thomas the 77-year-old textile art collector and owner of The Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection has passionately collected art for more than three decades. She joyously shares her collection with others and has generously decided to give her private collection a forever home in a museum in the future.
A couple of months ago, I shared the first part of my interview with Del in this article – “Passionately Collecting Textile Art”. In this second part, we enjoy the benefit of Del’s thirty (30) years as a textile art collector by getting some words of advice on how to build your own private textile art collection.
How To Build A Private Textile Art Collection
- Start out keeping good records of everything there is to know about the art quilts you purchase. Keep receipts, correspondence, all information about the artists and how to contact them in the future.
- Be sure you are collecting what you like and will enjoy. Do not collect thinking you will make a profit in reselling what you collect.
- Think about how and where you will store your artwork properly. Exposing your artwork to – dust, moisture, light, heat, mishandling, bugs, being stacked, folded can destroy them. (Read about 5 art care tips here)
- If you’re on a budget, start small, looking for small pieces that you’re attracted to at online auctions and even on eBay. Search online for textile artists, too.
- Be sure there is a return clause in your sales agreements.
My interview with textile art collector – Del Thomas has been very enlightening for me personally. Del exudes passion and energy as a textile art collector. Her energy is really contagious and I hope my interview with her has inspired you to also become a textile art collector.
Can’t wait to see you in the comments section.
Warmest Regards,
Diane Wright is a well-traveled woman who spent her teens on one continent, lived part of her adult life on another continent and then returned to the U.S (on yet a third continent). She is an art collector and a studio art quilter. She’s been involved in the arts in one form or the other since she was very young. In the 1990s she represented the artworks of Aboriginal artists in the United States. And now she represents the interests of art quilters as a board member of SAQA.
Diane and I got together to talk about creative ways to display textile art. In the first part of our interview, we talked about conventional spaces and conventional ways to show off textile art. Diane’s advice on unconventional ways to display textile is this.
Some Unconventional & Creative Ways
“Not all artwork need to be hanging on walls. For pieces that are translucent, I think you will want to figure out a way to hang them from the ceiling so that you can see through them. Attach the hanging device to the ceiling, let the artwork drape from the ceiling, hang again then fall so you can see the transparencies at different light angles. I think that might show off the work really well.”
Diane and I also talked about what effect the size of your artwork has on your display options. On whether to treat small art pieces differently from large pieces, Diane says:
“I think small pieces framed, elevate their value and perception. For large pieces, you’ll need to consider their weight and ensure they don’t bow. Hang large pieces on three points – additional point in the center – rather than only on the two ends.”
More Unconventional & Creative Ways
Some other unconventional ways to display textile art include using decorative hangers. Diane uses Vietnamese textile hangers (as shown in the photo above) that can be found at Ten Thousand Villages. She says,
“I think part of it is if you are selective about what kind of hanging devices you use, these [from ten thousand villages] are simple to use and decorative as well”.
One thing is for sure: Whether displayed in residential or commercial spaces, textile art literally changes a space from clinical to homey. And Diane has given us lots of options for displaying them; -both conventional and creative ways.
And here’s my personal advice: Stay in touch with the artist who created the artwork in your collection. When in doubt ask for help and ideas from the artist. Most will be pleased to offer their knowledge or come install the piece for you if it’s feasible.
Finally, remember you don’t have to stick to just hanging your piece over your couch. Home offices, stairwells (to absorb sounds), ceilings, and ‘cold spaces’, are all unconventional and creative ways and spaces to display textile art.
I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Diane Wright as I did. Share your thoughts and comments about creative ways to display textile art below. I look forward to connecting with you in the comments section.
Warmest Regards,
You may also be interested in this: How to Prepare Fiber Art for the Walker Hanging System
Diane Wright is an accomplished studio art quilter and an art collector. She’s the Membership co-chair of the Board for SAQA.(An international organization which educates about and promotes the art quilt.) Diane’s always been interested in art. She took night classes in drawing and painting, even when she was working a demanding career. Diane and I got together, to talk about different ways in which collectors can display textile art pieces.
I was curious to find out why Diane chose to work in and collect textiles over acrylic paintings, in which she is skilled and has a good appreciation.
“I think it’s layering together memories. There’s a narrative to the raw material in a fabric, that’s not available in a tube of paint. This [the fabric] as you hold it, says, “this is where I come from” in addition the artist imposes a narrative on top of the fabric’s own narrative.”
I asked Diane about the various spaces in which you can display textile art. She states that the common spaces to display textile art are homes, medical facilities (like hospitals and healthcare, centers) and other commercial venues.
About what it is about textile art that appeals to collectors, I found Diane’s answer with regards to sound absorption very interesting. This is how she put it:
“For homeowners, it’s how they feel about the warmth, the nurturing qualities of textile art and the sound absorption qualities. I think art directors purchase textile art for institutions because they’ve got lots of color and they feel like home. They are something you can easily connect with when you are away from home.”
So Diane, in what ways can homeowners and collectors, expect to display textile art?
“Personally, I prefer to display textile art just the way they are – unframed. I think they are complete the way they are. They don’t need frames to matte or to show them off or to bring the color out. Frames are however, sort of a necessary evil to hang them on a wall.”
And now let me explain the two conventional ways you’re likely to encounter when you try to hang or display textile art and what to do with them:
Two Conventional Ways
- Hanging Sleeve:
With this system, on the backside of your artwork, you have a sleeve or pocket at the top. Through this sleeve, you will slip a rod with two holes on either end. The holes are what you hang the picture hooks (or wall screws) on. - Stretched on Wooden Frame: (Look out for my tutorial on this)
In this case, you have the piece of textile art stretched onto a wooden frame, foam core, canvas or some other sturdy structure. A hanging wire is attached to the back of the structure which you will use to hang up the work on a wall.
That’s it, for now, about conventional ways and spaces to display textile art. Look out for the second part of my interview with Diane Wright on the creative display of textile art. In the second part, we talk about unconventional ways to display textile art and where to find some hanging devices.
What methods do you personally use? Is there a hanging method you’ll like to learn more about? As always, I love to hear your comments and suggestions.
Warmest Regards,
You may also be interested in this: How to Prepare Fiber Art for the Walker Hanging System
Del Thomas is a textile art collector and the owner of the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection. Her collection of art quilts boasts over 300 pieces ranging from pieces as large as 107” x 52” to as small as 4” x 6”. She is also a quilter who has been quilting for the past 70 years.
Over a period of time, I interviewed Del about collecting and becoming an art collector.
So let’s get right into it. I know you are wondering how one gets to own such a large collection of textile art, right? Well, this is how Del got her start – by visiting a museum. She says
“I had purchased a few contemporary quilts prior to 1987 when I attended the first Visions exhibit in Fallbrook, CA. From that day on I have only collected contemporary art quilts. I consider that the Collection started in 1985 when I bought the first contemporary quilt.”
Are museums the only place you can find art pieces for your collection? Absolutely, not! There are tons of places to find art and Del shares her sources: “Galleries, exhibits, artist’s studios, art quilts shows, magazines, books , online– anywhere there are art quilts”.
Often when people are starting out to collect art, they are quite unsure, sometimes downright scared they’ll not know what to look for. you can find direction for your art collecting by taking a cue from Del Thomas. Define a specific set of criteria to work with. Del explains her personal criteria:
“I have four criteria:
- Does the art quilt “speak” to me? Do I go back again (and again) to look at it?
- Can I afford it; there is a limit to my bank account.
- Do I have a place to store it?
- And, finally, if I could only have one of the art quilts, is this one the one I could live with for the rest of my life?”
After an art collector builds a collection, then what next? Is that the end of the collector’s relationship with the artists they collect? That’s exactly what I asked Del. And there’s a lot to learn from her insightful response:
“I like to support emerging artists and I am pleased when one of “my” artists turns into a “name” in the art quilts world. I definitely have a connection with almost all of the artists represented in the Collection. Several have become personal friends and almost all are in touch when they need to be”.
What can you do with such a large private collection, you ask, huh? Del enjoys showing her collection to groups of people. It’s one of her favorite things to do with her collection. She describes it this way.
“One of the best things about collecting is sharing the art quilts and their stories with others”.
That’s it for the first part. For me, what stands out from this interview is that although you might start by purchasing a piece of artwork, it’s not just about art alone. It’s about the stories they tell and about the people behind the creation of the art and their stories and the collectors and their own stories too. It’s an entirely connected web of inter-relationships, meanings, and story-telling.
The second part of my interview with Del Thomas (Words of Advice From A Textile Art Collector) will soon follow. I hope you enjoyed this first part.
I’ll love to hear your comments, questions, and thoughts.
Warmest Regards,
O.K. so you’ve begun an art collection. Whether you own a couple of pieces or tens or hundreds, they all hold a special place in your heart.
Obviously, the cash value of your art collection is important to you but much more so, is the personal satisfaction you get from it, right? Let’s just say it’s a case of you’ve got your heart really into your art collection now. And that’s absolutely fine. Because you’re not alone – every collector feels this way.
Textile Art Care Tips You Can Use
As a result of your feelings about your collection, you want to care for your art just like you care for every other thing that’s important to you. And you’re absolutely right on that score too!!
Because you can damage your artwork by improper use, storage, cleaning or display. Your textile art, just like any other genre of art, needs special care. So, if you’re looking for textile art care tips, you’re in the right place.
But before I get to that, let me just say this. If you do a good job preserving your artwork, it becomes a precious treasure for not only you, but also for your family in the future. So I’ll give you five textile art care tips that will ensure your precious art is well cared for and conserved. Here they are:
5 Important Textile Art Care Tips
- Direct light, humidity, and insects are not friends of art. You want to keep any kind of art from them. Paintings may fade or crack after long periods of time in direct light and so will textile art. Make sure not to put your artworks in direct light of any kind. You may want to coat your windows with a protective film to prevent the harmful UV rays from reaching your precious art or spray with UV protectors.
- Always assume your artwork is not washable unless the artist says so. Do not wash wall art, or clean with water or other cleaning agents. Lightly dust off periodically, using the vacuum cleaner extension.
- Smells – such as smoking, cooking/food smells, and mustiness – can be trapped in your artwork. Keep your art away from such sources of smell.
- Stains – In museums, white gloves are used to handle artwork to prevent stains. Since you don’t want to be walking around your home in white gloves, display your art in locations that will keep them away from touching hands and stains.
- Do not store art in tightly sealed environments. Allow air flow for your artwork to breathe. Storing in plastic bags, for example, can result in condensation which will damage your art.
When in doubt, hire the services of a professional textile conservator. All works of art get fragile with age. Don’t go crazy with trying to preserve your art. Accidents happen and when they do, just take them in your stride.
There are professional conservators whose full-time jobs are to preserve and restore artworks. Yet even they cannot prevent accidents. For example, on a trip to the museum, a 12-year old boy accidentally tripped into a 350-year old painting valued at $1.5M and guess what… it broke!!
But there’s hope. A team of conservators will be working to restore the painting. So if the worse happens, you can always find a professional who may be able to help you.
Meanwhile, in the absence of any accidents, these five textile art care tips should help you preserve your art collection for a long time to come.
Warmest Regards,
In the last post on this series I talked about how to go see art, love art and buy art. In this post, I want to talk about knowing the artists behind the work you see and like.
I’m a believer in living the life of a perpetual student. The more you know, the more curious you become and the more curious you are, the less boring life will be for you – because there’s always something new and exciting to discover.
So get curious about the artists whose works inspire you. You will be surprised at how much information you can learn about an artist. There are so many sources of information available about artists.
Artists themselves make a lot of this information public. A great starting point will be with an artist statement of artist bio. These two pieces of information are almost always readily available from an artist’s website or they are printed alongside their work in magazines or newspapers.
Also if the artist maintains a web presence (blog, Facebook, Pinterest etc) that’s usually another source of information about your artist. You can also learn about them from press releases, advertisements for shows and exhibition catalogs.
If they are represented by a gallery, the gallery owner and staff would be delighted to brag on the artist they represent. They’ll gladly answer your questions. All you’ve got to do is pick up the phone or walk into the gallery and ask.
Why Getting to Know The Artist Serves Your Best Interest
I know what you’re thinking, ” Why would I ever want to learn about an artist if all I’m trying to to do is start an art collection?” Just stay with me for a minute and I’m going to show you why.
Art collecting is both an intellectual and emotional endeavor. You want to like what you are collecting. Also, you want to be able to connect with the pieces of artwork you’ll be owning. You want to own 🙂 them, be proud of them. Soon you become the go-to person on that particular artist because you’ve followed their career for a while.
I can’t think of a better way to connect with your art collection than getting to know the artists who created them. Most collectors can tell you stories about the artists they collect and that’s what makes them passionate about and proud of their collections.
Here are some stuff you’ll eventually learn about the artists you collect if you get to know them.
5 Things You’ll Learn About the Artists You Collect
- Unique Style: You get to know what it is that they do differently from other artists
- Passion : You learn how passionate they are about the works the create. What makes them want to create more work.
- Philosophy: Their general outlook on life becomes obvious to you. You learn what they believe in and why they do what they do.
- Subject: You get to know how they come to choose the subject of their work. If they’re working on a landscape for instance, why did they choose to paint the Rocky Mountains and not Mount Everest?
- Craftsmanship: Quality matters, right? You’ll get to know the quality of their work -w hat type of materials and supplies they use.
When you get to know the artist, it ensures that you connect with them on some personal level. You might relate to their philosophy or their choice of subject matter or some other thing. The benefit to you is that your artwork doesn’t become just another piece of art but it is artwork which holds personal meaning to you – meaning that is different from what other collectors feel about that work.
Now tell me, what do you think? Is it a good idea to get to know the artist behind the works you like? Share your thoughts and comments. As always, I love to hear from you.
Warmest Regards,
Are you tired of having mass-produced artwork on your walls? Did you just move into a new space and can’t wait to decorate but you are a little intimidated by the process of collecting original art? Do you wonder how some people manage to put together a cohesive collection of original artwork?
Worry no more. I’ll be creating a series of articles to help you learn how you can become a proud collector of art. Follow this series and you will learn all you need to know about starting your own collection or adding to what you’ve already got.
1. Start by deciding what type of art you like.
I know, I know, I can hear you say “but I don’t know what type of art I like”. The easiest way to decide what type of art you like is by seeing lots of art. You can never tell what you like till you know what you don’t like. How will you know what you don’t like if you haven’t seen it before? Go out and see art!
If you’re intimated by museums and galleries, then start small. You can start by going to local art festivals. Make a habit of reading the art section of your local newspaper for information on what’s going on in the local art scene.
Opening receptions are also another ‘low-pressure’ way of getting into the art scene. Usually, you’ll have friends and family of the artists among many others at the reception. The environment is less intimidating and since there will be many people in the space during the reception, you can easily go unnoticed. The internet is another low pressure way to see art. Art magazines will also do it for you. The more you see art, the more you begin to appreciate it.
2. Be guided by your passion for art not the latest art trends
Well, now that you know what type of art you like, let that be you guiding principle. After all you will be looking at these pieces of artwork pretty much everyday. There will always be certain types of art that are trending at any particular point in time. Don’t go following the trends just for the sake of being trendy. If you do that, pretty soon you will lose interest in what you’ve collected and you will not be motivated to do any more art collecting. You’d have collected artwork in which you have no interest because your heart was not in what you were collecting just your brains.
3. Set a realistic budget for your art collecting goals
Don’t believe the myth that art collecting is only for the super rich and out of reach of ordinary people. You can comfortably collect art in a way that is affordable to you. If you are on a budget, you should seek out the original work of emerging artists, which will be more reasonably priced than those of established artists.
Also, you can collect limited prints of established artists as opposed to their original artwork which are also more expensive. Smaller works of an artist will also be less expensive than their larger works. Art collecting need not be daunting. Being informed about how to put your dollars to the best use, will make it easier for your art collecting adventure.
Start off with these three points and you will be well on your way to building your own collection. See art. love art and buy art. Remember the more art you see, the more you appreciate art.
Thanks for reading. Share your comments below. Do you collect art? Are you planning on collecting art? What are some of the things you’ve used to start your own collection?
Best,