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Art display labels?
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10 posts in this topic

Hi all -

Curious if anyone either knows of a product, or has jury-rigged something that they use to display art information on the pieces of art they hang.  I realize now that when I show people my art I'm often wasting a lot of breath telling them which comic it came from, which artist, what year.. etc... when it would be nice if I could neatly display that info along with the art... like in a gallery.  Plus, I don't necessarily remember what page things are from... so it would be nice to just have the basic info out in the open like that. Ideally, I'd like to put a small tag on the glass covering up part of the matte, as I think it would get lost (and take up too much space) putting in on the wall beneath it.  So I'd also need something that could probably wedge gently into the frame... as I don't want to adhere anything to the glass.

But like I said, I assume others have run into this issue... would love to see how others have solved this and then steal someone else's hard work and take credit for it as my own. :)

Thanks!
Frank

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1 hour ago, fmaz said:

Hi all -

Curious if anyone either knows of a product, or has jury-rigged something that they use to display art information on the pieces of art they hang.  I realize now that when I show people my art I'm often wasting a lot of breath telling them which comic it came from, which artist, what year.. etc... when it would be nice if I could neatly display that info along with the art... like in a gallery.  Plus, I don't necessarily remember what page things are from... so it would be nice to just have the basic info out in the open like that. Ideally, I'd like to put a small tag on the glass covering up part of the matte, as I think it would get lost (and take up too much space) putting in on the wall beneath it.  So I'd also need something that could probably wedge gently into the frame... as I don't want to adhere anything to the glass.

But like I said, I assume others have run into this issue... would love to see how others have solved this and then steal someone else's hard work and take credit for it as my own. :)

Thanks!
Frank

I use FileMaker Pro.

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2 hours ago, artdealer said:

I use FileMaker Pro.

That's software right?  I guess my follow up would be A - what do your labels look like, but more importantly, what do you print them on and how do you display them? The second question is really what I'm trying to get to.  What's the best physical way to present a display label without it being a piece of paper or something. Got any pictures of what yours look like by way of example?

Thanks

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I want my art at home to be presented in, let's call it, a warm and homey pseudo-museum presentation. And I'm at the stage in my life where I know I wouldn't want presentation labels. Which isn't to say I've nevr thought about it. I'd be a liar if I said that.

I also learned a long time ago, that I think engraved plates in the framed piece look tacky (to me). And I also say this  as a reformed engraved-plate-in-my-framed-art  abuser, who has been in recovery for the last 20 years. My much younger self thought it was cool and professional looking. Plus I knew folks that did engraving. Win/win. Now, not so much. I don't care for the look, for the way it changes the presentation, and I don't like the distraction. Anything that takes away from the art, as it is. I don't want to try and puff it up, or make it more polished. I think comic art is an artform, and it's why I treat the framing and hanging of it the same as I do my fine art works. And I guess that's my way of making it seem important. To me, it's more like treating it with dignity. Even if the thing on the page is a guy shooting at oodles of tentacles, or a family of vampires driving a car. :)

But I just decided not to go there, with labels. And this is also with all the resources of a professional museum graphics production shop at my disposal. It wouldn't really cost me a dime. I still occasionally do design work for museums, though in years pst it was a big part of what I did. The more museum work I've done, the more I've determined labels are just not for me. At least not in my own house. And I'm not a big fan of anything that takes any attention from the work. I'm not sure, if I had a super sleek modern home with gigantic walls that felt more like a pure museum display space, I might think differently. But I live in the burbs. I tend towards the mid-century, the Mission and the Nordic clean lines and things, but I'm not slavish in that regard. In the end I just ry to find the right balance between the walls and the living that goes on in those spaces.

Plus, at home, I absolutely want people to ask me about any given work that catches their eye, for any reason at all. As the guy in that article Great Escape posted says, the people that come to his place don't really read the labels, but they do tend to gravitate towards what grabs their attention.

Please understand, I don't say any of these things to be critical of someone else's approach to display. I actually have immense respect for anyone that has enough respect for the work to hang it up in their home, and wants to share it with the people in their lives. I'm just tossing what my experience and feelings have been, since they have shifted over time. I don't see it as being more conservative, but more as being more sophisticated through what feels to me like more simplicity. Less is more. Let the art speak for itself, yadda yadda.

I think as time has gone on, part of it is a desire to separate out my work mindset from that of home to some degree as well. I still want my home to be home. But the Mrs. and I also have the work up for our enjoyment, more than anything else. I don't care if someone doesn't know what it is. If they care enough to ask me about it, that's awesome. That's what I want to have happen in my home.  I want people to naturally be drawn to a piece, and I am happy when they engage me in any kind of conversation about it. I find them interesting, even if it's a basic rehash of something I've said dozens of times before. Some folks "get it" and some folks clearly don't. Especially the work we hang. But most often we get compliments.

 

As a completely separate topic to what the OP asked, but incredibly related, after a ton of research over the last number of years, I've finally finished switching our whole house over to LED bulbs. And in particular to 4000k LED bulbs. Not so easy to find in the local big box hardware store, but super easy to find in the age of web shopping. And the prices are so much better than they used to be. Maybe the single best thing i ever did for my art collection. What a massive improvement for the art.

My primary concern was reducing the UV exposure that the art in the house got from the old incandescent, and then the more energy efficient, but horrible for the art compact fluorescents. As someone that works with color daily and has for a long time now, I know I wanted to get rid of that "warm feel that people tend to like at home, but I didn't want that ugly hospital blue of a 5000k bulb, which is just too clinical to live with. It took me a week of living with the first couple of rooms (I did the kitchen and the foyer and living room first), before I decided I was a fan and tackled the rest of the house. I couldn't be more pleased. The rooms are bright, and "clear" without the warm candle-lit coloration of that incandescent glow. So the effect on comic pages is that the subtle details jump out more. This includes color differences like areas of whiteout, and other thing that some folks might prefer to actually hide. But for me, it's great.

But the greatest improvement is in the color work, of which I have quite a bit. The paintings look better than ever. Everything looks better. Nicer. More accurate. Ever have to take a piece over to a indow or outside to look at it in sunlight to get a real feel for something? It's like that, but without having to go outside or to the window. I just snapped this pic. No adjustment in color. It's actually about to storm and is quite dark out at the moment. The room is only lit with the overhead light fixture in the dining room. This is straight from an  iphone, no color adjustment.

413954485.jpg

Compared to what I used to get, this is astounding. Been like this since the beginning of the year when I did the switch. I'll never go back.

 

-e.

p.s. I'd love to see folks post pics if they do end up making labels. I'm all for having my opinion changed, and/or just admiring people's setups in general. As I said, I have great respect for that kind of thing. Deserving of it's own thread if enough people up for a little show and tell, or whatever, maybe?

 

Once upon a time (at least 20+ years ago

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I don't personally like the inset labels either... but it's certainly personal preference.  The museum look I like a lot.  I just don't necessarily have the room for it.  But I think I might be able to make a compromise with a smaller version of those.   My art room is primarily for my own enjoyment, but I do like the idea that someone could come in and be able to see what everything else at a glance.  So  I'd like to see if I can find a nice looking solution.  I'll certainly keep you all updated if I do act on this.  I'm debating as we speak whether or not to pull the trigger on a new piece of art.  NORMALLY my rule of thumb is "If you need to think about it... DON'T buy it"... but this particular page came up for sale a few years ago and I liked it then... and there's something about it that I just really like and remember fondly.  My meandering point being... if I pop for a new piece, I'll probably wait until it's being framed to act on this ... so I can hang it along with the new labels all at once.

 

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I though Unca Ben's engraved custom plates added a touch of class to his presentations.

I stopped displaying comic-book artwork on the walls of my house a long time ago.  My wife thought it too 'Geeky' (as may well have been the case with some visitors to our home . . . not that they actually spelled it out or anything . . . I just sometimes got that feeling).  Comic art was relegated to my man-cave.  Sometimes compromises have to be made.

The good news is that my wife is perfectly fine with me displaying Movie Poster paintings around the house, which she quite likes.  Visitors are usually suitably impressed and intrigued once I tell them that they're the original artworks, not prints.  No need for engraved custom plates or descriptive cards as the works speak for themselves.

I don't cram my walls with paintings, as I'm not a fan of overkill, preferring to rotate artwork every few months to keep things fresh.

 

bastard.jpg

Edited by The Voord
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