How to Choose the right Mat
Choosing the correct colors when matting your art is one of the crucial parts of frame design. If you get the colors right, your art looks its best. If you get it wrong, the mat color overwhelms or draws the eye away from your art. Different colors and textures of mats do different things to set off your art. Some people like drama, some like soft low-contrast looks, and some like color unity. Whenever someone tells you that the “only” way to mat your art is with a white mat or a black mat, they probably haven’t seen matting done right. Let’s take a look at what kinds of effects different types of mats will have on your art.
Using the Dominant Colors in the Art
In general, using the dominant colors of the art in the mat draws the eye to the art rather than to the framing. Often the artist has some focal point that contrasts with the background colors. If you mat with those background colors, the artist’s intended focal point will still draw the eye to it. Generally, the top mat will be darker on a dark work of art and lighter on a lighter work of art. Often the accent mat, the narrow inner edge, will be another strong color in the art. Take a look to the right and see how using dark matting for this New Yorker cover makes the building and “O” practically glow!
Using Neutral Mat Colors
Sometimes using neutral colors will do a good job of setting off the art without emphasizing colors you don’t want to emphasize in your home décor. Neutral colors can run the spectrum from warm to cool, from creams to grays, and they sometimes include adding texture to add visual interest without adding intense color. Sometimes white mats work as neutrals, although white mats on dark art may be too much contrast for the art. On the left, a stone colored mat was used to help keep this image soft, while not committing to one of the two strong halves of color (background of blue, foreground of green).
Using High-Contrast Mats for Drama
Dark mats on light art, light mats on dark art, and strong colored mats can sometimes work to give your art the punch you want. You have to be careful that the mat colors don’t overpower your art. Some brightly colored art is almost impossible to mat well in anything but white or black. Multicolored art with no dominant color often looks good with dark mats. Sometimes you just want the color you want, as in team colors or school colors, although sometimes even those can be toned down a bit. Here are some examples of high-contrast matting.
Black and White
Don’t get me wrong, we use white mats on lots of art for which white is appropriate. Often, there is a better choice, even if it is a white with a cream or a gray or a pink tint. There are probably a hundred different white mats to choose from, all with a little bit of some other color in them. When you get the right white, it is magic. When you get the wrong one, it is painful to look at. Black mats, although dramatic, often work when nothing else does. To the left, this Italian etching used a slightly grayer off-white mat to soften the intensity and meet the toned back color of the ink. A brighter white, even closer to the paper color would take your eye’s attention away from the amazing detail within the etching.
Get It Right and Your Art Will Thank You
The right mats make a huge difference for how your art will look. Let us help you select from over 600 different colors and textures of mats to give your art the presentation it deserves.
