Canvas Painting Frames

The objective of a canvas painting frame is to act as support for hanging a painting on a wall or shelf. The type of painting on the canvas, will dictate the kind of canvas painting frame that you can choose for it. An ornate painting frame in an antique metal finish will go very well with a classic Victorian style painting. Such types of canvas frames are also well suited for family portraits, particularly of some ancestors who are dressed in Victorian and Edwardian style with proper ball gowns and lace trimmings. However completely different type of canvas frames will be required for modern paintings or for pop art paintings. You just can't imagine a Andy Warhol painting framed in a dull antique gold finish ornate frame. So, you need to keep in mind the type of painting you are going to frame, before choosing canvas frames.

Choosing Canvas Frames

Always remember that the frame you choose should complement the genre of painting as well as the colors that are used in a painting. A seascape with predominantly blue, navy and black colors will not look good with a red or green colored frame. This kind of canvas painting frames would jar with the theme and subject of the painting and will mar the beauty of the painting. People who will look at the painting will find that their eyes are instantly drawn towards the frame and not the painting. So, always try to find a style and design of canvas frames that complement the painting. In the above example of a seascape oil painting, the best frames would be a simple wooden frame that is free of any carvings with a matte finish in a dark color.

Suppose you have a still life painting of fresh flowers in colors such as red, pink and orange. Then the best canvas frames for such a painting would be a wooden frame that has a lot of intricate carvings in a flowery design. This type of wooden frames will enhance the beauty of the painting and will also complement the theme as well as colors of the painting. A still life painting that has many glass and steel objects painted like wine glasses, bottles and samovar, is best framed by a beautifully polished silver frame. The silver frame will complement the silver and glass of the painting.

If you want to know how to frame a painting, well in my opinion it is best left to professionals who can do the job efficiently. However, if you are keen on doing it yourself, then there are many ready-made wood frames that are available in the market. These ready-made wooden frames can be mounted with the help of offset clips or canvas clips. Framing paintings with metal frames is not recommended at home, as you might scratch the paint with it.

One very important thing to remember while framing a painting is that your painting should always be the main focus. The frame is there to enhance the beauty of the painting and it should not at any cost steal attention from the painting. Having a very ornate metal frame for a simple landscape is one of the worst mistakes in framing a painting. When you hang a painting in your room, your guests should only admire the painting and not the canvas painting frames.