Framing, Fine Art by Julianne Ricksecker

René Carcan International Prize in Printmaking, Public Prize Award

Posted 7 years ago by Julianne

Julianne Ricksecker with winning art at the Rene Carcan international Prize for Printmaking exhibition, Biblioteca Wittockiana, Brussels, Belgium, February 15, 2018. Photo: Ellen Pontes

Exciting news! At the opening reception on February 15, I received the Public Prize Award in the biennial René Carcan International Prize for Printmaking for the 4 original prints that I have on display there! Thanks to all my friends, family and collectors who took the time to go online and vote for my work!

The exhibit is at the Bibliotheca Wittockiana, a museum in Brussels dedicated to book arts, book binding and related disciplines. The show opened February 15th and closes May 15th of 2018.

Enjoy the entire exhibit online here: http://award.renecarcan.be/current_edition

For San Diego locals, you can enjoy 2 of the 4 images at the Del Mar Art Center Gallery until April 30. The joy of original prints is that they are “multiple originals”, and exist in a limited edition that can be on view in two places at once!

“Last Light” and “Resting on Razor Point Trail” can both be viewed in the gallery, located in the Del Mar Plaza, at the corner of 15th and Camino Del Mar. Gallery hours are Tue – Sat, 11-7 and Sun, 11-6.

Torrey Pine #3, monotype, René Carcan International Public Prize in Printmaking

“Last Light”, etching and aquatint, 8″ x 10″, René Carcan International Public Prize in Printmaking.

Resting on Razor Point Trail”, Etching and Aquatint, 3′ x 3.5″, René Carcan International Public Prize in Printmaking.

Harris Beach, Oregon, Color etching, 10″ x 12″, René Carcan International Public Prize in Printmaking.

Why Do You Need Archival Framing?

Posted 8 years ago by Julianne

Sagami-wan, etching and aquatint, ©1978, Julianne B Ricksecker

As an artist who works primarily on paper surfaces that need to be framed for protection from the elements, I have long been concerned about using archival materials for framing and handling: museum or rag mats, archival clear wrap for matted work that will be displayed in bins.

But as a young artist starting out, I relied on the expertise of the framers I took my work to for advise on framing decisions. I recently learned from experience that at least one of those framers led me in the wrong direction. In her defense, she might have been giving me industry standard counsel at the time, but I have a piece of art that clearly shows the error of the technique. It is also interesting that there are two pieces, framed in the same way at the same time, and only one of them suffered acid damage. I have to guess that the different rag content of the two printmaking papers caused diverse outcomes.

I am no longer a young artist, and some of my work has been in frames for a long time.

The two particular pieces that I looked at this week were framed about 35 years ago. When I pulled them out of storage to check them out before sending them out on exhibit, I noticed that the glass looked smeared. However, cleaning the glass did not help. I was puzzled about why the inside of the glass would look dirty, but I opened up the frame to clean it.

Untitled (ring around the moon), etching and aquatint, ©1978

I found a milky deposit on the inside of the glass everywhere that the black rag mat touched the glass, and the black ink from the print was offset on the glass in the same milky deposit. I am not sure what this is and am not sure it would have been so apparent if the deposit hadn’t been whitish and the mat pure black.

acid damage on image from framing with non-archival materials

No part of the print was touching any non-archival surface. Behind the print was a 2-ply rag mat that was in perfect condition. The black mat, which was supposed to be acid free (I don’t remember if it was “rag”), was in perfect condition. But the foam core that was used as a backing board behind the 2-ply rag mat “barrier mat” was not an archival material. It was believed that the barrier mat would protect the print from the acidity of the foam core. I can only guess that the damage to the print, and possibly the scum on the glass, was the result of out-gassing of some kind from that foam core backing. The out-gassing, remaining inside the frame package, was able to impact the paper of the print wherever the was air space between the glass and the print. It did not, however, seem to injure the rag mats.

What I noticed next was the shocker. I lifted the mat from the print, to see if the mat was causing an acid burn on the paper. I found that the mat had perfectly protected the paper, but where the mat window was open and the print exposed to the air behind the glass, the paper was burned yellow.

I found it interesting that the second print, framed identically at the same time, did not experience this damage. The glass had the same off-set of the image and the same deposit where the black mat touched the glass. The printmaking paper of the second print has a higher rag content, and apparently was less susceptible to environmental damage.

Needless to say, after cleaning the glass, I replaced the backing boards with newer acid free archival foam core backing boards. And replaced the burned print with a different impression from the edition, which has been stored flat and unframed.

This is one example of what acid damage from non-archival framing might look like. It’s highly unlikely that I will be around to check on them in another 35 years, but I am hoping that current “acid free” and “archival” materials are truly superior to the framing materials and understanding of1981. I have not yet destroyed the burned print. I am thinking about experimenting with it.

Technical notes: The paper that was “burned” was Arches printmaking paper and in the 70’s, I believe it was 40% rag. The paper that did not “burn” with the same framing treatment was Rives BFK, which I believe has always been 100% rag.

Sketchbook Lost

Posted 13 years ago by Julianne

Cactus skeleton sketch — Sketch from hike in Anza Borrego

For many years, I had a sketchbook with me all of the time. If I had a moment, I was sketching. Taking visual notes of anything and everything. Laundry baskets. Children sleeping on the floor at a folk festival. People in a meeting. House plants. People in restaurants. The puppy. The dog. The dog and the kids. The tree in the back yard. The mailbox across the street from the flute teacher’s house. Animals in the zoo.

Coyote Canyon, etching, black and white proof

Coyote Canyon, etching by Julianne Ricksecker — Coyote Canyon, etching by Julianne Rickseck

Many of these sketches have found their way into pieces of art over the years, either as the whole subject, or as a snippet incorporated into a larger image.

Sketchbooks also serve as a place to make verbal notes – thoughts on my first view of Grand Canyon. Notes about colors or atmospheric impression of a place. Ideas for new work or a new way to use techniques. These notes are relatively few as this book is not intended to be a written journal, but they sometimes capture something about the inspiration for a new piece.

When I went to work full-time in alternate career, I stopped carrying a sketchbook everywhere with me – it wasn’t appropriate. While I continued to make art on the weekends, gradually, I found I only carried a sketchbook on vacations, or on special occasions, like on a hike in the mountains. I still referred back to old sketchbooks regularly when working in the studio, but it was no longer a daily habit to carry it around, open it up, and draw. Whereas I used to fill up several sketchbooks a year, I was now carrying the same book for years on end.

Last summer, during a trip to the East Coast, I remember using my sketchbook on the plane and tucking it into the seat pocket. After returning home, a few weeks went by before I looked for it and I could not find it anywhere. I have never lost a sketchbook before! I did an exhaustive search over a two-week period without success. I could not remember seeing it after that plane ride. I felt like I had lost a friend. I finally reported it lost to the airline, but by this time, I didn’t have much hope. I resigned myself to the loss and put my contact information in the front of a brand new sketchbook.

Imagine my joy when it turned up unexpectedly last week! It was here all along, inside a re-usable shopping bag in the garage. Welcome back.