Watercolour Paintings.

Watercolours should be hinged to a conservation board, and a single or double mount used to give a small space between the watercolour and the glass. Use a hand-coloured wash line mount to really enhance the watercolour(see photo).

We use a conservation paper tapeto seal the glass to the mount and conservation board, which prevents the intrusion of dust and insects. A solid 3mm medium density board is used as a final backing board and this is fixed to the frame and sealed with a long lasting gum paper tape. Finally felt pads are placed on the bottom corners to give a space between the picture and wall, which promotes air circulation, also the pads grip the wall making constant level adjustments unnecessary.

Lightweight watercolour paper should be stretched onto a wooden base prior to painting, however this paper will still be prone to cockling which can only be overcome by drymounting the watercolour onto a board.

An alternative to float glass is 2mm diffuse glass, which is surface eched and therefore does not reflect. The downside is that less light is transmitted through the glass, resulting in darker colours and reduced clarity. We also offer a low relection glass, which when viewed at the optimium viewing angle, directly opposite the framed image, the glass tends to disappear.

Care and Display

To reduce reflections especially from windows and lights we recommend a small box such as a matchbox wedged behind the top edge of the frame. This tilts the picture slightly down towards the floor minimizing reflections.

Light damage is irreversible, therefore Watercolours should not hang opposite windows, or under a spotlight or fluorescent light. If strong lighting conditions cannot be avoided, a UV Filtered Glass should be used to protect the watercolour.
High humidity conditions should be avoided because paper is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs moisture like a sponge, and expands causing cockling to occur. Also humidity promotes mold growth within the frame and creates a perfect enviroment for insect infestation.
Avoid hanging your watercolours above a heat source, unless there is an appropriate shelf to absorb and deflect the heat.

Conservation Board
We use a solid white conservation board from Arqadia. Made from a high quality bleached alpha cellulose, the board is essentially lignin-free (see Acid entry ). Under accelerated ageing conditions the board changes from pH 9.4 unaged, to pH 7.5 over a 100 years; pH 7.5 in 150 years; pH 7.5 in 200 years.

2mm Float Glass
is used for most framing situations. It is a high quality, optically clear glass, giving a bright image and virtually no colour distortion. Float Glass should not be confused with the opically inferior sheet glass which is used in budget framing.

2mm Diffuse Glass
is surface eched and does not reflect a mirror image, however less light is transmitted through the glass resulting in reduced clarity, and a darker image. The image becomes blurred when the glass is moved a small distance from the object. A maximum space of a double mount, about 3mm, between the glass and object is acceptable.

2.5mm UV Filtered Glass
We use Tru Vue Conservation Clear 2.5mm Glass which has a filter on the side facing the Artwork. This absorbs 98% of the damaging UV energy that exists just beyond the violet end of the visable spectrum. It is important to realize that UV Glass does not offer complete protection, and Artwork should still be shielded from direct and excessive sunlight. UV is defined as energy within the 300-400 nanometer range. Ultraviolet (UV) light transmits energy into the atoms of the object it strikes. This energy excites the atoms and transforms them into new substances, which manifests in artwork as fading and degradation of paper and fabrics.

Low Refection Glass
Only about 92% of light is transmitted through Float Glass, the rest is reflected towards the viewer. Low reflection glass transmitts over 99% of light, giving a brighter, clearer image, with minimal reflection. Low Reflection Glass then reflects less than 1% of light when viewed at the otimium viewing angle, that is directly opposite the glass at 90 degrees. At this point the glass virtually disappears. Viewed at different angles the glass will reflect some images from windows and lights.
Most types of Low-Reflection glass are coated with a multi-layer optical interference coating (OIC) which is very similar to the lens on cameras and binocolars. Coated glass must be handled and cleaned with care, as the coating can be vulnerable to scratching.

Conservation Tape
We use this conservation tape to seal the glass/mount/foamboard package to prevent the intrusion of dust and insects. The tape is acid free, water based, and non-ageing with a elastic acrylate adhesive.

Wash Line Mounts
Lines of varying colours and thickness are drawn onto the mount with a special ruling pen. A thin wash of watercolour is then applied between two of the lines. This is a traditional method of mount decoration, and really enhances the watercolour painting.