Mounting a Wavy Watercolor Painting

Big Box

Grumbler in Training
Joined
May 19, 2005
Posts
7
Loc
Ohio
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I had a customer bring in a watercolor painting that has a nice deckled edge that I recommended we not cover up with a mat. I suggested that we float mount it but she didn't like that idea. She ended up only wanting to frame the piece. I tried to recommend spacers to keep the glass up off of the art but she didn't want the expense. I wonder why she came in!! This painting had been rolled up and is very wavy. I don't like the idea of the glass laying on the artwork but I am not sure what to do. How can I mount this painting to lay flat? :confused: Any suggestions from you grumblers would be appreciated!
 
She didn't want to pay for spacers.....

but she'll pay for mounting?

Have her sign a waiver and slap it under the glass like she wants....

I'm sure you told her all the reasons not to, to now it's her problem.
 
We've had customers request dry mounting wavey w/c's. Even after explaining, they insist. So, we do what they want and make a notation on the ticket that they wanted to "forego" conservation techniques.

We don't punish our customers for not being giddy about conservation methods. We try to educate them; but in the end, it's their choice. In our neighborhood, it's usually a matter of economics.
 
Perhaps instead of drymounting you could try to flatten it by putting it under something clean and heavy like a thick piece of glass for a day or so to see if it helps. I think the matboard spacing idea is great.
 
There is some risk in trying to make a "wavey" watercolor flat. If the paper is seriously distorted, it could end up flat with creases all over it. That would be about impossible to fix, at least for a framer.
 
I've used this solution for wavy water color art... Take a slightly damp sponge and wet the BACK of the paper just so it is moist. This will not harm the art on the front. Once the paper is damp, either put it between blotter paper and weights or put it into a heat press and flatten it that way. It works and doesn't hurt the art. I had a water color artist show me this and she was right, it works and doesn't have any effect on the art on the front.
 
Originally posted by framah:
it works and doesn't have any effect on the art on the front.
Except when it doesn't work and it does have an effect on the art on the front.

Not to be a spoil sport, but there are so many different kinds of papers used for watercolors, and watercolors themselves, that everyone should keep it in the back of their minds that there aren't any one size fits all solutions to these kinds of problems.

And now I'm gonna be a quotin' fool!

Rebecca
 
Originally posted by Angie Pearson, CPF:
Perhaps instead of drymounting you could try to flatten it by putting it under something clean and heavy like a thick piece of glass for a day or so to see if it helps. I think the matboard spacing idea is great.
I agree with Angie on this one.

I've lightly mist the back of the watercolour paper with water and then put something heavy to flatten it out.

regards,
Marion
 
You know what though... Ron and Rebecca are right... water colors are not always on the same paper... we don't know what Jim has... it may be really really wavy... in that case putting it under the glass may indeed cause it to be creased. I was just talking about semi wavy.... I paint with water color and my stuff gets wavy but I usually just fix it by putting it under glass and it works fine for the kind of paper I use and the amount of waviness my paintings usually have.
 
Thanks everyone for all your information on this "wavy" situation!

I will take all of this information into consideration when I go to finish this project.

Angie, I am going to start with your glass suggestion and weight it. I don't think that there will be creases. I will keep you all posted as to the final results!
 
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