I create my work on wood and canvas, ready to hang directly on the wall, without needing glass or a frame. I sometimes continue the artwork around the edge of the painting, especially on my largest pieces but for most of my work, I paint the edges black to create a visual frame-space between the work and its environment.
A frame isn’t necessary, but can help connect the artwork to your interior design. When I frame my work, I always use a"canvas floater" frame, which doesn't cover any of the painting. It is the only style I make for my paintings when I choose to frame them. Many styles of frame look good on my artwork, and professional framers have a much broader selection than I can offer, but if you want a classy, contemporary frame for my work, a floater frame is an obvious choice.
About the frames I make:
I make my frames from local Virginia Poplar wood, and I hand cut, assemble, and paint or varnish the frame. Poplar is ideal for frames (and art panels - in fact, the Mona Lisa is painted on Poplar ) since it resists splitting and warping, and it doesn’t have a strong rough grain like oak. It does have color variation, and it will darken over time, if unpainted.
Size and Shape:
The frame face stands a little over 2" from the surface of the wall. The front edge of the frame is about ¼" wide and also "floats" ¼-½" away from the edge of the artwork. The artwork surface itself sits just slightly below the face of the frame, which allows the frame to remain visible as a border on the work, even from a side view. My artwork panels and canvases are typically 1½" thick, so a frame adds some depth to the overall work. On smaller paintings such as the 11x14 examples above, a frame is proportionately larger and so adds a visual weight to the artwork, while on larger pieces, the frame feels thinner, and acts more as a slim boundary between the work and the rest of the room.
Finish and Color:
I like black, white, and natural wood frames. Most of my paintings look great in any of the three.
Pricing:
My pricing page has the details for various common sizes, and I’m happy to give an estimate for custom work. The freight fee for an empty frame is the same price as for an artwork of the same size. I have to set up the framing portion of my studio to keep dust away from the work, so I only make frames once a month or so.