creative design ideas needed for framing a piece of wood carving

December 17, 2010 1:36 PM

creative design ideas needed for framing a piece of wood carving

So I’m entertaining myself with an art project to frame a piece of wood carving (8”x 8”x1”) that I bought earlier. I already picked a wood frame (20”x24”x2”) that I like, and will paint it black to go with other wall hangings in my living room. The wood carving piece will be kept as it is (dark beige) and be glued on to the center of the mat. For mat, I’m thinking of a poster board that should be sturdy enough to stand the weight of the center wood piece (not terribly heavy). Red seems to be the best choice out of all the colors at art supplies stores. But, a flat, shiny poster board seems amateurish and boring. What other colors, patterns, or textures can I use instead to emphasize the wood carving and yet go well with the wall (light beige) and the room (mostly black décor)? I’m open to other material for the mat, if possible, as long as it is readily available in stores and does not require a whole lot of cutting and molding. For the final finish, I like a simple, clean, modern and sophisticated look and feel. I will post a picture later for what it looks like without the mat on the wall. Thanks.

posted by dy to sports, hobbies, & recreation (4 answers total)

I think it would be nice to see this mounted on a flat gray (primer) mat. Or go all out and mount the carving on a flat sheet of brushed aluminum.
posted by alfanut at 2:19 PM on December 17, 2010

I'd like to see the carving.

You can get a 20*24 canvas panel or a piece of gessoed masonite and make them any color you want. Spray it with a UV varnish before you attach the wood with a PVA adhesive.

Poster board is not archival and will fade, and release acid into the back of the carving.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 2:46 PM on December 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

My mom bought this primitive carving (St. George and the dragon) in the Philippines in the early 60s, and had it mounted on a coarsely woven grass fabric. This is simple and clean -- whether it looks modern and sophisticated, I leave to your judgement.
posted by Srudolph at 4:39 PM on December 17, 2010

UPDATE: here is the picture without the mat
posted by dy at 4:41 PM on December 17, 2010