Framing Terns: P-Z

palette
1) A non-absorbent surface on which to mix paint. 2) The set of colours on such a surface. 3) The range of colours a given artist or school of art prefers.

palette knife
A thin blade of varying flexibility set in a handle; used for mixing paints or applying them to a surface.

paper
A substance made from cotton, wood or other fibrous material, usually in thin sheets, used for writing, printing or drawing.

paper grain
The direction in which most of the fibres in a piece of paper are oriented and the axis along which the paper tears and flexes most easily. Grain is usually found only in machine made papers, although it is also present in some handmade oriental papers. (24)

parchment
1) A translucent or opaque material made from split skins of small animals, usually lambs or kids (goat) that have been limed, void of hair, scraped and dried under tension to produce a fine, thin, strong surface for writing, bookbinding or other uses. 2) Paper with a texture resembling true parchment.

pastel
1) A crayon made from pigment mixed with just enough biding agent to hold it together. 2) A drawing (painting) made with pastel crayons.

patina
1) A film or encrustation, usually green, appearing gradually on a surface of copper and bronze, due to weathering and as a result of oxidation. 2) An opaque toning used to stimulate aging or to dull the brightness of a gilded surface. 3) A deep, soft polished gleam acquired by wood and metal after years of wear and polishing.

pecan
A tree that grows in the warmer parts of the United States and Mexico. It is large with hard, but brittle, wood.

photo frame
A frame specifically designed for standard sized photographs, often with an easel backing.

photo-lithography
A printing technique in which a negative is exposed to a photo-sensitised lithographic plate, the image is then developed on the plate. Non-image areas are desensitised and the image area becomes an ink attracting surface. The plate is inked and printed in the normal manner.

picture frame
A structure, usually of wood or metal in which a painting, print or other object is enclosed to improve or enhance its appearance, to isolate it from a wall or to link it to a decor, as well as to support and protect it.

picture hanger
A device attached to the wall on which the frame is hung or attached to the molding of a frame by which the picture is hung.

picture wire
A soft braided or solid wire, available in several thickness to support various weights, which may be coated with flexible plastic, attached to the back of framed pictures.

pine
A tree that grows in a variety of locations around the world. The wood varies from very soft to hard, is light weight and straight grained. It is white or yellowish in colour.

plaques (brass)
A small metal plate mounted on a frame, usually showing the artist’s name and name of the artwork.

portrait
A painting, sculpture, drawing, photograph or other representation of a particular individual.

poster
1) An inexpensive printed reproduction of a piece of artwork. 2) A placard or print intended for posting in a public place as an advertisement.

PPFA
The Professional Picture Framers Association. A professional trade association that serves the art and framing industry.

primary colours
Red, yellow and blue. No combination of other colours will yield a primary colour; combinations of the primary colours yield all other colours.

print
A generic term used to describe an impression made on paper from a block, plate or film negative, for example.

profile
1) The outline of the exposed surface of a molding cross-section. 2) An outline of the contour of a face, viewed from the side.

provenance
A record of previous ownership and previous locations for a work of art.
R
rag board
Mat board from non-wood products such as cotton liners or cotton which are naturally lignin free, stable and durable. Made with a non-acidic (pH neutral or alkaline if buffered) sizing.

rag paper
Paper with all the qualities and benefits of rag board, but much thinner. Used to make photo corners and for other light weight applications in framing.

ready made frame
A frame ready for purchase as is, as opposed to a custom-made frame. Ready made's are usually produced in standard sizes, e.g., 8 x 10, 11 x 14, 16 x 20.

refit
To remove an artwork from a frame and reinstall in the same or different frame.

register marks
In multicolor printing, small dots, circles, crosses, etc., placed in the margin of the key (main) block, plate, etc., and which are transferred exactly to each printing surface made from the key. These marks enable the printer to align all the printing surfaces, so that each colour impression will be in register with all the other impressions.

regular glass
A designation for standard single-strength window glass (2.5 mm).

re marque
1) A small sketch engraved in the margin of a printing plate, usually removed before the final edition is printed. 2) A printing plate with such a mark.

reprints
Produced after the original edition was issued and from the original plates or blocks.

reproduction
A copy.

restoration
Cosmetic repair of an object to recreate its original appearance.

re strike
Produced after the original edition was issued and from the original plates or blocks. Often made years after the artist’s death.

rice paper
A common misnomer for Japanese paper. A smooth, white material favoured by Chinese painters; cut off, in a spiral manner, from the pith of the Fatsia papyrifera tree. Not a paper, similar to papyrus and tapa in that regard.

rosewood
A tree that grows in India, South and Central America. The wood is hard and very heavy. A special feature is the silvery sparkle it gives off when placed under light.
S
saw tooth hanger
A strip of metal approximately 1/4 inch wide with a saw tooth configuration cut into one edge. The hanger is attached to the back of the frame and combined with a nail or hook in the wall to complete the hanging assembly.

scoop
A common frame molding shape, a cross section showing a concave or hollowed profile.

screw eye
A screw with a head shaped into a loop to which the hanging wire on the back of a picture frame is attached.

secondary market
An arena where limited edition prints are resold after the edition has been sold out at the original sources.

security hanger
A type of hanger with one section attached to the back of the frame and the other to the wall. When positioned together, the frame is held securely and requires a special tool to separate the hanger parts.

sepia
1) A dark brown colour. 2) A dark brown pigment, used in paints and inks.

sericel
Artwork created to resemble an animation cel, but using screen printing techniques.

serigraph
A method of printing using a hand-cut or photographically prepared stencil attached to silk or a polyester fabric through which colour is forced. Also, referred to as a silk-screen or screen print.

shadow box
A frame made from a deep molding in which three-dimensional objects may be displayed.

shrink wrap(ping)
(n) A clear plastic film which shrinks when heated. It comes in various qualities and thickness. (v) The act of wrapping an object in this film.

silk-screen
A stencil process of printing in which a cloth (originally silk) is stretched over a heavy frame and the design painted by tusche or affixed by stencil. It is printed by having a squeegee force colour through the pores of the fabric in areas not blocked out. The term silk-screen now implies a commercial use, the same process used in fine art is termed serigraph.

silver leaf
Silver that has been beaten into thin sheets. Silver leaf is more delicate than imitation gold, but sturdier than genuine gold; can be cut with scissors and picked up with fingers. A very versatile leaf; the colour can be modified with a tinted shellac, sometimes known as gamboge.

spring clips
There are various types of spring clips, used to hold a stretcher frame in a wooden frame or artwork in a metal frame. The canvas type hook on the stretcher bar and to the inside of the wooden frame. The type for metal frames fits between the back inside edge of the frame and the backing board.

stamp print
A limited edition print of a game stamp, e.g., duck stamp print.

standard size frame
A frame built to one of a variety of sizes deemed standard in the framing industry, e.g., 5 x 7, 8,10, 16 x 20.

still life
A painting or drawing of a group of inanimate objects contrived by the artist according to some theme, either symbolic or merely aesthetic.

stretch
To pull a fabric taut over a rigid support and secure; e.g., a canvas over a stretched frame or a needle art over foam board.

stretcher bar
A strip of wood with tongue-and-groove ends. Bars are joined to form an expandable frame over which canvas is stretched.

substrate
A term from substratum meaning a layer lying under another. Generally used to denote a foundation material upon which an item is mounted or otherwise functions as a carrier.
T
tapestry
1) A fabric consisting of a warp upon which coloured threads are woven by hand to produce a design, often pictorial, used for wall hanging, on furniture, etc. 2) A machine woven reproduction of this fabric.

teak
A tree that grows in Southern India and Southeast Asia. The wood is extremely hard (ordinary nails cannot be driven into it), very heavy (logs sink in water) and uniquely resistant to attack by insects, fungi and chemicals (it is not harmed by acids or alkalis). The colour varies from yellow brown to rich brown. It has a course texture, usually is straight grained and has an oily feel; excellent dimensional stability and durability.

triptych
1) A set of three paintings or bas relief's, related in subject matter and connected side by side. The two outside half-panels (called wings) may be closed over the central panel. 2) A set of three prints that make one complete image.
U
ultraviolet (UV) light
Short, high energy invisible light waves beyond violet in the spectrum with a length of 250 to 400 nanometers.

united inch
In framing, the combined inches of one length and one width of a frame; e.g., an 8 x 10 frame is 18 united inches.

UV filtering acrylic sheet
A glazing material consisting of an acrylic sheet which has been formulated to remove the damaging ultraviolet rays from light.
V

value
1) The degree of lightness or darkness of a hue. 2) The general degree of lightness or darkness of a surface.

Victorian
1) Pertaining or belonging to the period during which Queen Victoria of Great Britain reigned, c. 1840-c. 1900. 2) Characterized by the presence of heavily carved ornaments, elaborate molding, etc.; use of strong, generally dark colours; emphasis on geometric form rather than on textural effects and frequently by an effect of harshness.

vignette
1) An ornamental design of vine leaves, tendrils and grapes, used as a boarder on a page. 2) A small, pleasing picture or view. 3) Small illustration or design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter. 4) An engraving, drawing, photograph or the like that is shaded gradually at the edges so as to not leave a definite line at the borders.
W
walnut
A tree that grows in Australia, Europe and America; the wood is hard, heavy and exceptionally stable (it does not shrink or warp). The colour varies from pink to chocolate brown.

watercolour
1) The technique of painting with pigments dispersed in a gum Arabic solution. 2) A work of art so produced. 3) The paint used in this technique.

watermark
1) A design, pattern or mark on paper, usually produced by a raised area on which the paper is made. Watermarks on handmade papers are made by very low relief molds or designs of fine wire set on the screen on which the moist pulp collects.

wood engraving
A highly exacting technique involving engraving on a piece of polished end wood. End wood is a cross-cut section of wood which has little or no perceptible grain. This allows for cutting of delicate lines in any direction.