Mounting a Pastel on a Mirror!

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S Patterson

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Team - My best client's daughter is an artist and has done an amazing pastel of her parents walking on the beach. They now want this mounted on a mirror which runs the full width of their bed - reflecting the lovely hillside where they live.

The room is a very hot (no cheeky comments - thanks) there are windows all around so they can view the hillside. Look forward to your suggestions - my timeframe is fast. The paper is textured and relatively think with torn edges all around.
 
conservation frame it and stick it to the mirror
 
well then your client doesn't care about preserving their daughter's art and they don't need the services of a framer.

tell them to go down to the local craft store and buy a can of spray glue, or loan them yours.

[ 03-11-2004, 11:29 PM: Message edited by: BoneHead ]
 
If such a thing occurred in my shop, I would say, "This is too lovely to be spoiled by using any permanent adhesive on it. I am sorry, but framer's ethics preclude my doing this. I must refuse the job." Sometimes this gets their attention and makes them realize that I know more than they do. If they still want it done, I would sell them a jar of Yes! paste and tell them where to buy the mirror. Other than that, walk away. You just KNOW this will be back to bite you...
 
As has been said, framers can not be expected to
repeal laws of chemistry and physics. If left
unframed, the pastel will pick up grime, pollution, and unfiltered light, all of which will
hasten the destruction of this girl's work. Fixing
paper to glass will also cause distortion in the
structure of the paper as it tries to move in response to changes in relative humidity and it is
held fast by the nonresponsive glass. This is one
challenge that is a problem waiting to happen,
unless the pastel is properly framed.

Hugh
 
How about framing the pastel (properly) and then bolting it to a mirror.

Drill holes in the mirror to correspond to the center lines of the frame rails and attach the mirror to the frame. There are felt insulators that will pad the screw from the mirror. Professional mirror installers will know about these felt inserts.
 
I can see where your customers are going with this. They want the artwork to become part of the reflection with as little interference from a frame as possible. You could encapsulate the piece in mylar and then stick it to the mirror with whatever. Another solution would be to frame it in a silver metal frame, straight fit with 1/4" spacers. Still another solution is to straight fit it into an acrylic box. Not one of these solutions is perfect. I don't think mylar and pastel mix real well, the metal frame will show quite a bit from the side, the stainers for the acrylic box will show from the side.
I guess the only real solution is Scotch tape.
 
How about getting a print made of the pastel?

Then you can stick the copy on the mirror and frame the original.

Or have the copy printed on translucent paper and attach it to the window. That way it would become part of the view.

Kit
 
Just say "NO"!
kaffeetrinker_2.gif
 
Here's an idea... Find the stuff that removes the silvering from the back of the mirror in the shape of the art. Then attach to the back of the mirror where it is now clear glass and... TD-DA!!! You now have the art and the mirror as one. I've seen this done with stuff like wallpaper patterns a long time ago. Worth a try mentioning this to them and see if they would like it.
 
How about reproducing the art in the form of a photograph or large format ink-jet image? Do whatever they want with the copy. The art may then be properly framed or stored.

Pastels are difficult to frame properly, in the best of circumstances. If they insist on mounting te original pastel unframed, I would decline the job with a quick explanation:

Pastel artwork is a very fragile and "fugitive" medium. Any sort of impact or vibration will make it literally fall off the paper, and any contact, such as accidental touching or brushing against it) will smear the pastel. Open air exposure absolutely will assure its destruction.

Placing the pastel directly against any kind of glazing (glass, acrylic, or clear film) without framing will cause problems when natural, unrestricted expansion & contraction cycles occur.

However, if you place the pastel against glazing and then close up that 'mount package' in a well-insulated frame assembly, with plenty of dead air gap around it, expansion & contraction cycles would be minimized & not so harmful.

It's obvious that these people have no idea how fragile their art is, or how to handle it. Educating them is your best hope of avoiding the destruction of the art.
 
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