Emblem Mat

This was one of those projects that keep coming up, and keep me excited about picture framing. There is a fantastic collaboration that goes on during the design process. The result is an attractive piece that was cooperatively envisioned by the designer and the customer, and sometimes as in this case, with the original artist as well.

This customer was turned away from other frame shops, due to the complexity of her needs. She had a print to frame, and with it, the artist had also given instructions on how the piece should be framed. The instructions, on one page, were well written, with rough diagrams of a bear claw emblem and design to be cut directly into the mat. It’s a daunting piece to consider cutting by hand on a manual cutter. I would be able to do it, but it would take a few trials and several days to pull this off using my own dexterity.

However, I have a better solution. My robot assistant, who I’ve named Gir, is a CMC (Computer Mat Cutter). I can lay out vector art design, import it into Gir’s software, and Gir will cut virtually any shape into a mat board. I learned to lay out vector art many years ago using any variety of design software- so just about any custom design you can imagine, I can actualize right here in my shop. The cost to you is minimal, and I can help you turn a pure idea from your head into a design cut into the mat of your frame.

So first I scan the diagrams into my computer, and open them in Illustrator to use them to guide me in the design. I use the measurements provided by the artist, and where they haven’t been provided, I use my natural design skill and knowledge of composition to arrange the decorative border into what the customer is expecting. Once satisfied, I export the file and send it across the in-store network to Gir. Gir has a dual processor computer dedicated to its handling of the design and control of its cutting head. With just a little import and last minute tweaks to the layout, Gir gets to work on the task of cutting the mat. I truly believe that technology does not take the art out of a craft, but rather acts as another tool in the hands of an artist.

The final piece fits perfectly with the art. Notice that nothing in the design takes away from the image, despite the wide matting etched with an intricate design, and detailed, heavy grained wood frame. All of the elements work together and present the art with the impressive energy that the artist had intended. If you have an original work, and you want it to stand out, then this is often a better way to go than a minimalist framing that is virtually unnoticeable and does nothing to present the art.