Is Gallery-Wrap a Selling Point?
Tuesday October 28, 2008
Someone who makes their own canvases emailed me to ask if what they do counts as a gallery-wrap canvas. Carol B. said:
"When I make a canvas, I make the wooden stretcher and stretch the canvas around it and staple the fabric to the wood in the back. Does this qualify as a gallery-wrap canvas? The staples are not visible when the canvas is hung on the wall."It sounds to me like it would. My understanding is that any canvas where you don't see staples or nails, which has tight, neat edges, counts as a gallery-wrap. But the back of the canvas wants to be neat too. No frayed edges, no bunched up corners, bent-over staples. Gallery-wrap is about smart presentation.
Carol had across the term on websites selling art giving gallery-wrap as "one of the painting's qualities". Personally, I don't see how "gallery wrap" is a strong selling point, and do buyers know what it means anyway? Might it not be clearer to mention if the edges were painted -- and whether it's in a single color or the painting continues -- because that implies it doesn't need framing (unless a buyer wishes to) and is easy to understand, not jargon?
Image: © Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc
Comments
I think “one of the painting’s qualities” is stretching it a bit far.
However if one were to use the word ‘benefits’ instead then I’d definitely agree. The major benefit – and the main reason why gallery wrap has become so popular – is that it provides a well presented item of art to hang on your wall with no further fuss. No need for a frame.
Therein lies the rub. You spend 100% of your money on art. You don’t do as many people have seemed ready to do in the past – spend an inordinate amount of money getting a work framed.
The important point for me about gallerywrap is that the painting is presented to the purchaser finished and ready to hang. So whether the edges are plain painted (white or a colour) or a continuation of the painting does not matter. The edges are finished and the piece is ready to hang – no further expense – whoopee!
Hi Marion,
I was thinking about “Gallery Wrap” recently, as a few potential clients have asked me if I gallery wrap my paintings.
On quizzing them, they had no idea what it meant. But they had heard that good paintings come on gallery wrapped canvas.
I think ebay is responsible. The majority of artists seem to offer their paintings gallery wrapped, “With certificate of authenticity”. As far as I’m concerned neither of these things has anything to do with the quality of the artwork, but precisely because people don’t know what it is, it holds a lot of weight with buyers.
So now I always paint on gallery wrapped canvas!
Only two artists whose work I’ve sold painted their canvases on the wrapped edges. It gives the paintings a certain look, which can be appealing. If the canvas were painted a single color on the edges, I’d suggest to the buyer that they frame the piece. The only exception to that would be if the background color of the painting was very gracefully extended through the edges.
I would not consider this to be a selling point, only a possible convenience.