Framing a triptych

[pbmoyse]

Hi everyone,

My first post here. I've been framing my own artwork for a few months now and have got fairly proficient at it. Still a lot to learn, but enjoying the process. However I may need some help and advice on my latest project. It's a triptych oil painting for a competition. I've been looking into using slips or fillets with an MDF border, but having never used slips or fillets I've no idea how to use them or whether I'll need to. I was thinking of framing each individual painting of the triptych and then mounting those framed pieces onto a larger MDF board and framing that with a larger moulding. But then surely if I didn't want the paintings to be raised I would have to sink them into holes cut in the MDF (which would mean having a moulding with a rebate on both sides?). Either that or glue them on top and then raise the outer frame with a slip (if that would work?).

If anyone understands all that and can offer help, advice or suggestions, I look forward to your response(s). Many thanks,

Paul

[prospero]

Welcome Paul.

Well..... It would be easy enough if you framed each panel in a minimal moulding and fixed them to an MDF board as you suggest, but maybe that's not the look you are striving for.

You could make a frame and add thinner cross-bars. This was a quite popular thing in times past, particularly mirrors with a painting set each side.
But there isn't any off-the-shelf finished moulding that you could satisfactorily do this with. A bit of fabrication is in order. This would be easier using a plain unfinished wood. Make the frame. Put in a couple of cross bars made from square timber, fixed under the rebate. Then a flat piece on top of the cross bars so that it overlaps maybe 7-8mm each side of the bar - thus forming a double rebate. Bit of fine-tuning to get it to butt up to the rebate lip of the main frame.

Then apply a finish to the whole lot. This would need minimal carpentry. No routing or circular-sawing to form a rebate.

It's a pretty simplistic explanation and you could add various refinements but that's how I would approach it.

[pbmoyse]

Thanks Prospero!

Yes, I researched a similar option and considering my time-frame it may be the best one. There is still the issue of matching the cross-bars with the frame. I have already bought the moulding which has a gold trim (Wessex Pictures D3243), so the cross-bars will need to be either gold or mahogany. I'm thinking some plain 1" decorative moulding from b&q stained with mahogany woodstain might do the trick, although I'd welcome any other suggestions.

[prospero]

OK. That moulding isn't the easiest to adapt to this design. The gold sight-edge is a complication. Also, staining the cross bars to match the factory finish would be problematic. The moulding is Obeche (or similar) most B&Q architectural mouldings are pine. The two woods take stain very differently. Sooner than have two elements in a frame that nearly match, I would paint the cross bars black. If you did them gold, it would look very odd IMHO. You would never match the foiled gold on the frame anyway.

All in all, I would keep that moulding for something else. I have to say that although it's a perfectly respectable moulding, it's a quite widely used one that you see on a lot of cheap prints. You are framing original art. It's a bit like drinking champagne from a jam-jar. Tastes the same but 'not the done thing'. An individually designed frame, hand-finished, will add a lot of gravitas to the presentation.

[pbmoyse]

Ok, I'm confused, but get what you're saying at the same time. When you say 'individually designed', are you saying buying a plain wood moulding and painting it? If so, I may decide to go with my earlier idea of framing each individual painting and mounting them on a larger MDF board with larger frame, then paint it black. Would you have a suggestion for mouldings?

[prospero]

I was just thinking it's easier to build the frame from plain wood than try to adapt a finished moulding. Everything will match and give a more harmonious look.

To do three frames on a backing panel is a good design, but it would mean leaving a space between the paintings. It would look odd if you had them tight together as the divisions would be twice as thick as the outer parts of the frames. Depends on whether the paintings lend themselves to having a gap between.
It's easy enough, but not quite so simple if the paintings are on stretched canvas. I'm thinking use a minimal flat or flat with a rounded edge moulding. Maybe ½" wide. But the problem would be that these mouldings are not meant for canvases. They have very narrow rebates and canvases are generally a bit uneven around the edge and also need a bit of elbow room in case they need to be re-tensioned. Also, with a canvas you would have to cut holes in the MDF to accommodate the depth.

[David McCormack]

Hi Paul,

I like your work, enjoyed my visit to your website.

I can't really offer any help regards framing your triptych but I thought this Mallory Triptych may give you some ideas. It looks like they have used slips and painted the frame and vertical cross bars to match.

[prospero]

Sorry Paul. I didn't spot the link to your website. (Thanks David)

Nice work. Definitely avoid the brown moulding.

[pbmoyse]

Thanks David and prospero.

Thanks for the link to David's triptych David, that frame really works well with the slip, I may go with something similar. Really appreciate the help guys, I'll let you know how I get on with the framing once the pieces are finished.

Cheers!