No More Matted Prints

Sadly, the time has come where I will no longer be carrying my line of matted prints. These have long been a staple in my work since the beginning, but several changes have come about that makes it no longer worthwhile to carry them. My apologies to any of customers who prefer this format of my work, but allow me to explain.

First, when I first got started doing art shows, I would cut all my own mats. I would go down to my local art supply store and purchase 40”x 32” mat boards and do my best to get as many mats from each sheet. This was a time-consuming process, so I soon learned to source it out to vendors who would supply precut mats. This was a big time-saver and allowed me more time to create. However, many of these companies have left the business in the past few years. It is becoming more and more difficult to source mats in the right color and in a timely manner.

Second, I need to simplify my inventory process. For those of you familiar with my art, you know that it is vibrant and colorful. I brought that same attitude for color towards my mat selection. Often times, I would carry around fifteen different mat colors at any given time. Although this was fun and provided lots of options for each of my illustrations, it is not longer a practical process. Also, the companies that produce mat boards have severely reduced their spectrum of color options in recent years, making a number of my stock colors no longer available.

In addition to the inventory management, matted prints also made art show travel more challenging. I have limited room in my van and always having to carry several boxes of surplus prints, mats and foam board for each show ate up a lot of storage space.

I understand this will come as a disappointment to some of my customers, but it makes sense for me to drop the matted prints at this time. There is some good news though and I have stated this to many customers who have weighed the decision between purchasing a matted print and a canvas wrap. When you buy a matted print, you must also consider the cost of framing the art. Frames can range anywhere from $15 for cheap frames up over $100 for customer framing. This additional cost puts a framed, matted print inline with the costs of my smaller, canvas wraps.

Lastly, I will just add that the canvas prints look fantastic on the wall, much better than the mats framed under glass, in my opinion. The canvas wraps don’t suffer any effects of light reflection. The satin finish makes the art visible from any angle in the room and in any light. They also have a nice dimensional appearance, sitting 1.25” off of the wall.