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Designs
Ink Publishing Article Archive and Reference Library
Articles
by Chris A. Paschke, CPF GCF CMG
"Tiered Mats: Surface
Tiering"
February 2005
First
thoughts of mounting involve preservation vs. invasive affixing of artwork to a
backing for visual presentation. But that is only part of the picture. Mounting comes in many forms: hot, wet,
spray, pressure-sensitive, and can be technical or creative. Flip through the
pages of my second book Creative
Mounting, Wrapping and Laminating, available through PubCo and the PFM
Bookstore, and you will see wrapped mats, embossed mats, shadowboxes, and
tiered mats.
A plethora
of creative applications using fabrics, decorative papers, and traditional
adhesives to invent and design new reaches for the art of mounting.
Even with
the plethora of assorted neutral mat colors, styles and textures in today's
framing market there are still times when a creme colored mat may still not be
the correct creme colored mat required to match the art paper an image has been
painted on. Such is the case with this
month's kitten. Remember the five stages
of design? They are definition,
creativity, analysis, production and clarification
(see PFM, Essence of Design series
during 2000). Step one is definition so let's define the project.
THE DESIGN: DEFINITION AND CREATIVITY
There are
four original kitten paintings on 90# Stonehenge Creme paper. Since this series of four were to be placed
in a retail gallery situation, the initial framing design needed to best
enhance the artwork and did not need to take additional room surroundings into
account. Historically when framing for
the art, the resulting design generally fits well into any room. Besides, eclectic is very popular these days.
The images
are small 10x10" squares of contemporary, line paintings using only black
sumi ink. The series of four minimalist cats were to be framed simply while
remaining classy and contemporary. The singular line of the art called for a
narrow black or dark grey moulding to prevent the frame from overpowering the
image. Triple mats were selected from a neutral palette to help the pieces fit
into any colored decor. Three 4-ply Alpharag
mats, Colonial Creme #8667, Khaki #8646 and Pearl White #8647, were selected to
stay within the range of base neutral Stonehenge paper while still adding
subtle color variety.
PROBLEMS DURING ANALYSIS
Along with
the triple mat, there was to be a 3/16" spacer between the top double mat
unit and the bottom mat. The idea and color choices looked great under
fluorescent, color corrected and daylight, until the conservation glass was cut
and laid over the mat samples.
With the
glass in place, the top mat Alpharag Colonial Creme now appeared to have a green
tint and no longer matched the Stonehenge paper the art was painted on. Every
attempt was made with all the current company museum 4 ply boards and a
matching color could not be located. Looked like the solution would be a
surface tiered mat (photo 1).
TIERED MATS
Yes, I said
tiered mat and not tired mat. Tiered
matting is a creative solution to creating a mat that works in a design when
nothing else will. It is the process of
mounting fine art papers to commercial mat boards to create a totally new
board. These layers may end up recreating the surface of an existing board
(surface tiering); may be layered to the back of a board (under tiering); the
layers may end up between two or more boards in the bevel itself (pin
striping); or a combination of the above.
The solution
to this above problem turned out to be the first option: a surface tiered mat. A
new sheet of Stonehenge paper would be mounted to the top mat to create a board
that matched the original art exactly. Though I frequently use tiered mats in
my designing, this is only the third time in the twenty-five year history of my
frame shop that I was forced to created a surface tiered mat to specifically
solve a problem of color matching a piece of art.
Since I
would be mounting layers together for the top mat I opted to go little further
and add the hairline effect seen in pin
striped bevels. The resulting mat used a
sheet of the same Stonehenge Creme 90# paper used for the original artwork; a 2
ply sheet of Strathmore rag in the center as the mat base; and a 60# black
Strathmore Charcoal paper as the bottom layer (diagram 1). The completed design (diagram 2) replaced the top
Colonial Creme 4 ply mat with the new 4-5 ply surface tiered mat, with black
pin stripe.
SIZING AND MOUNTING
The rag
backing board, first, second, and third window mats had already been sized and
cut prior to discovering the green tinting color issue beneath the
glazing. Usually all materials for
tiered matting are cut slightly larger than the window requirements and the
window is then sized after mounting. In photo
2 the materials are all sized and ready to be aligned and mounted. The black 60# paper (bottom), Fusion 4000
film adhesive (between each layer), 2 ply Strathmore creme mat blank (center) and
Stonehenge creme 90# art paper (top) are seen to the right of the kitten.
Once all the
layers are sized, or rough sized as in the case of the film adhesive, they are
stacked squarely and trimmed at the edges before placing into the press (photo 3). Use a metal straightedge and
run a sharp knife along the edge of the presized mat blanks for close trim. Trimming
excess adhesive prevents it from leaving adhesive residue on release papers or
worst case scenario sticking out from the edges of the release paper and
melting to the press platen or the felt beneath. It also prevents bits of adhesive from ending
up on the surface of the new formed mat board.
This mat
unit has been placed into a 210M-X mechanical press set at 200°F for 5 minutes.
The longer dwell time accounts for additional layers the heat must penetrate
and the hotter temperature is only 10 degrees higher than manufacturer
suggested temperatures and since these are raw materials there is no risk of
damage. In a vacuum system the unit may also be bonded at 200 degrees but will
require 3-5 minutes dwell time.
Once mounted
and cooled under a weight the mat unit needs to be again trimmed to smooth the
edges and prepare it for cutting the window opening. If oversized it may be squared on a wall or
straightline cutter, but if nearly to actual size then a metal straightedge and
sharp blade is better. Check for square and accuracy prior to trimming (photo 4).
CUTTING AND TRIMMING
When creating
tiered mats their ply thicknesses will vary so traditional straightline and CMC
cutters may not have been calibrated to accommodate the added thickness. Therefore
undercutting is a frequent occurrence and corners may need to be carefully cut
out with a sharp double edged 1200 mat blade after the window has been cut four
sides (photo 5).
I prefer to
trim out the corner from the front of the mat to better control the possibility
of overcutting. When fitted into the track of the cut edge, a thin blade will
lie and slide smoothly along to the uncut corner. Carefully trim the corner
keeping the bevel in alignment. Tiered mats absolutely demand clean straight
cut window corners, particularly when there are pin stripes. A hooked corner or
wavy corner trim will look like an edge of curly lasagna and will be VERY
obvious.
STACKING AND COMPLETITION
To polish up
and professionally complete any mat window, lightly run a bone burnisher along
the top edge of the bevel to take away the raw fresh cut paper edge. This is
particularly important when bonding multiple paper and board layers together in
tiered matting. Just as a wavy corner will attract unwanted attention, an
unburnished bevel will also. Burnishing
does not mean aggressive or hard pressure, but nearly just the weight of the
bone itself to just turn the raw paper edge (photo 6). It is much like swiping a newly cut piece of glass to
take the raw edge off.
A spacer may
be of 3/16" acid free foam board, 100%
Cotton Rag foam board, or two pieces of 8 ply rag mat for the spacer. This
project used 3/16" Bienfang AF foam board, bevel cut for the back of the top
double mat unit, about one-half inch back from the window opening (photo 7). The blade in the
straightline mat cutter will need to be extended to accommodate the thickness
of the spacer and up to 1" overcuts are encouraged to allow for a clean
inner corner. After cutting, adhere the spacer as a reverse bevel to the mat
back with full length strips of ATG tape surrounding the window on all sides. Once
all the mats are assembled and the art has been hinged in place within the
window the frame may be completed.
TruVue Conservation Clear glass was selected for this original and the
frame is a Nielsen Arthuas Dusk #117-164 (photo
8).
MATERIALS SELECTION
When
selecting papers for tiered matting or any decorative application the
lightfastness of the paper must be addressed.
Pigmented colors are very lightfast while dyed colors are light
fugitive. Stonehenge paper is not the most lightfast paper available but it was
selected because it was the same paper the original art was painted on and no
mat boards matched it. Both the art
paper and the top mat surface paper will fade, but at least they will fade at
the same rate and therefore will always match.
I've dealt
with this issue for years when selecting some beautiful papers such as Ogura,
Unyru or Washi colored papers for wrapping or embossing. If colored with dye
they probably will fade and the only time I will use them is when the original
has used the same paper in its composition. Acid content and lightfastness both need to be known for an educated
judgment to be made when opting to use a decorative paper in framing.
Particularly in preservation applications.
Conservation
glazing has been used in the featured project to help retard the fading
potential of the papers but unfortunately many dyed papers fade by visible
light as well as UV light. That means the very light rays that allow us to see
a pink, blue or green color are the damaging rays that will fade the colors
away. Unfortunately Stonehenge is a dye rather than pigmented color and will
not be protected from visible light wavelengths by the UV glass.
The
adhesives and foam boards selected for this project are inert and will not
react with anything else in the package to create any new chemical reactions. So
all in all it is considered to be preservation framing. The black pin striped
paper is neutral pH and very lightfast, and the mats will fade...well, as mats
do.
PUTTING THE KITTEN TO BED
OK, all
things completed the gallery images turned out fabulous. They are neutral
colored, minimalist, eye catching framing designs. The mats match perfectly and
the colors all enhance and protect this original. So the tiered mat turned out to be the perfect
solution to kitten happiness.
END
"Kitten" artwork is one of
a series of four originals by Chris A. Paschke and framing shown is courtesy of
Designs Ink Gallery and NielsenBainbridge.
PHOTO 1 MAT CORNER
A triple mat
was chosen in neutral colors with a 3/16" spacer between the top double
mat unit and the bottom mat.
The top mat
ended up being a surface tiered pin striped creation to match the art paper.
PHOTO 2 SIZED SUPPLIES
The rag
backing board, second, and third window mats are seen laying beneath the kitten
art (L), while the black Strathmore, Bienfang Fusion 4000 film adhesive, 2 ply
Strathmore creme mat and Stonehenge creme art paper are stacked at right.
PHOTO 3 PRE MOUNT TRIMMING
Once all the
layers are sized, or rough sized as in the case of the film adhesive, they are
stacked squarely and trimmed at the edges to keep adhesive bleed to a minimum.
PHOTO 4 POST MOUNT SQUARING
Once mounted
and cooled under a weight the mat unit needs to be again trimmed to resquare
it from the back using a metal
straightedge and sharp knife. Remeasure
for square and accuracy prior to trimming.
PHOTO 5 UNDERCUT CORNERS
When creating
tiered mats their ply thicknesses will vary so traditional straightline and CMC
cutters may not have been calibrated to accommodate the added thickness. Undercutting is a frequent occurrence and
corners may need to be carefully cut out with a sharp double edged .1200 mat
blade. This is being cut from the front
of the mat.
PHOTO 6 BEVEL SMOOTHING
To clean up
any finished mat window after cutting, lightly run a bone burnisher along the
top raw edge to smooth and give the window a completed look. This is particularly important when bonding
multiple paper and board layers together in tiered matting.
PHOTO 7 FOAM SPACER
Cut the
3/16" acid free or 100% Cotton Rag foam board reverse bevel spacer for the
back of the double mat unit one-quarter to one-half inch from the window
opening and adhere it with full length strips of ATG tape all sides.
PHOTO 8 COMPLETED KITTEN
The
completed piece looks clean, contemporary and adorable. The mats match
perfectly and the colors all enhance and protect this original. Original Chris A. Paschke art and framing
shown courtesy of Designs Ink Gallery.
For more
articles on design see the Design Series under Articles by Subject.
Additional
information on mounting basics is found in The Mounting and Laminating
Handbook, Second Edition, 2002, and The Mounting And
Laminating Handbook, Third Edition, 2008. Creative Mounting,
Wrapping, And Laminating, 2000 will teach you everything you need
to know about getting the most from your dry mount equipment and materials as
an innovative frame designer. All books are available from Designs Ink
Publishing through this website.
Chris A
Paschke, CPF GCF
Designs
Ink
Designs
Ink Publishing
785 Tucker
Road, Suite G-183
Tehachapi,
CA 93561
661.821.2188
info@designsinkart.com