How to Care for Prints

Dear fellow art lovers,

I'm often asked by busy customers how to look after their prints once they've bought them.

Prints are a great way to enjoy art for not a lot of money, and cared for properly a print will look just as good decades down the line as it does today.

border collie prints in frames
See these border collie prints here
Advances in technology have meant that inks and paper are much more stable than they used to be.
This doesn't mean that you can mistreat your print any more than you could before, but it does mean that given good conditions it will last longer.

There are four main enemies out there, dust and rogue particles, light, moisture and bad chemicals, and of course the aim is to avoid these.
Care should involve:
  1. Protecting behind glass.
  2. Avoiding direct sunlight.
  3. Not keeping your print in the kitchen or bathroom or any other steamy atmosphere.
  4. Ensuring the surfaces that are in direct contact with your print are acid free. Most modern framing materials will be. Check recycled frames. Old hardboard can be a problem.
  1. Mary Kemp.
    Ginger and White Cat with Lilac
Choose a frame and mount you love.💖 Why should you let fashion dictate your choices? unless  it's fashion you love.
There are many off the shelf frames out there in all different sizes and styles and I for one often use them. They are cheap and you can usually find something to suit your requirements. Ikea, DIY stores, Wilco, John Lewis all have great ranges

 It's a good idea to have a mount round your print. This serves to keep it from directly resting on the glass. Attach the print to the top back surface of the mount so the print hangs behind the mount, anchoring only the top edge. This way the print won't crinkle as it accommodates changes in moisture and temperature in the atmosphere.

The tape you use is important. Don't use sellotape. Framer's tape or even masking tape are better.
Next put the mount in the frame, cleaning the glass well, and seal the back of the frame, with tape so nothing can get in. You'd be surprised how dust and tiny thunder flies can penetrate.
impressionist art print mary kemp
Escape from the Crowds
Available here

So it's all ready to hang.
Remember the cord on the back, strong nylon cord, tied with a proper knot.
One of the most embarrassing things that happened in our house was a picture falling off the wall in the middle of the night. It hit the burglar alarm box, setting off the alarm and waking up the whole street. We were not popular! It was a lesson painfully learned.
If the diy option is not for you visit a local picture framer. It might not be as cheap but this is the bespoke option, and you will be guided through your choices by an expert.
So diy or bespoke I hope I've given you a few tips about how to care for your prints.

 The prints in this article can be found in my Etsy shops, MaryKempStudio and Mary Kemp Art .



                           Thanks for reading

Brooding Sea 20" x 24" Oil Painting. SOLD

© Mary Kemp
Brooding Sea



On Boxing Day, just as I was clearing up after a splendid lunch party, full of good cheer and too much food, there was a little notification on my phone saying that one of the paintings I thought was really rather good had sold.
I'm always glad when a painting finds a new home, and it seemed a fitting end to a very happy day.
It went, via Royal Mail special delivery, all the way to Scotland. where I've seen seas just like this.
Here is the sea at it's most enigmatic, brooding, not violent, but not hospitable.



Two Brothers. Painting on Canvas


"Two Brothers"
Oil on canvas 30 x 30 cm
DETAILS
Because today is so rainy and cold I thought I would post a painting that came from a warm holiday in the Canaries. Just looking at the deep blue sea transports me to another place. I can imagine the warm sun on my arms and see the blue of my favourite t-shirt (most of my t-shirts are blue). I can hear the children talking on the edge of the concrete jetty at Los Gigantes and hear the sea pounding backwards and forwards against the rocks.
This is an oil painting on natural linen canvas. It's one of three paintings from that trip.

How to Care for Prints

Dear fellow art lovers, I'm often asked by busy customers how to look after their prints once they've bought them. Prints are a ...