What’s behind the glass?

Hey everyone!

We have been busy this season with many new framing projects on the go, and we are so excited to see what new pieces everyone has as the Christmas season fast approaches!  As promised, we are going to continue along with the materials we utilize in framing to preserve valuable pieces.  For the month of October, we are focusing on the matboards we use. Your first question might be… what is a matboard?   A matboard is the coloured border that surrounds the outside of the picture. 

So how exactly can a matboard help protect your artwork?  The first manner in which a matboard helps protect your piece, is by keeping it away from the glass, preventing the material from sticking to the surface.  However, at Kennedy Picture Framing, we want to ensure our practices and materials protect and preserve artworks. As such, we only use archival matboards that work to actively protect from cleaning products, air pollution, and natural aging.  Over time, photos and other materials release by-products that lead to deterioration, fading, and yellowing.  Thus, the we utilize Artcare Alphamats to protect images and keepsakes from these gases.

How does it work you may ask?  Great question! The answer is zeolites embedded within the matboards.  Zeolites are natural minerals that draw-out, trap and hold these gases from the image and contained environment within the frame.  As Nielsen Bainbridge has stated “the superior protection provided by Artcare products has been tested and validated at the Getty Institute of Conservation and the United States Library of Congress. For over 2 decades, conservators and preservation specialists around the world have made Artcare products their standard for preserving our cultural heritage.  Now you can do the same!” For more information and examples of valuable works preserved using Artcare Alphamats, make sure to visit their site.

With hundreds of colours to choose one, we can find the perfect matboard(s) to complement your artwork, special keepsake, or certificates.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Catherine (the bookkeeper)