When reviewing artist submissions, I am obviously looking at the creativity, technique, and aesthetic appeal of the work. But I am also evaluating the package as a whole.
Artists constantly ask me if they should stretch their canvases, paint their edges, or frame their pieces before approaching a gallery. “Can’t I just work with the gallery on framing if they like my art?”
The blunt answer is no. Presenting unfinished work sabotages your chances of securing representation before the conversation even begins. There is a caveat here: some artwork is presented in a gallery wrap format, which is intended to be without a frame. The most important thing here is that we are delivering display-ready artwork, whether framed or unframed.
1. The Psychology of the Unfinished Canvas
When a gallery owner looks at a loose canvas or a raw, unpainted edge, it sends an immediate, subconscious message. It tells me, “I haven’t figured this part of my business out yet.”
This instantly signals a lack of professional exhibition experience. While not a completely fatal flaw, it presents an immediate hurdle that the gallerist now has to jump over to justify taking you on.
Your collectors will experience the exact same hesitation. They are trying to envision how the artwork will look in their home, and an unfinished presentation shatters that illusion.
2. Eliminating Merchandising Friction
Galleries are in the business of selling art, not assembling it. If you ask a gallerist to figure out your framing or stretching, you are creating merchandising friction.
We do not want to add another logistical nightmare to our plates before the artwork can even be shown to a buyer. We want a simple, ready-to-hang product.
My ideal scenario with a new artist is seamless. You deliver the display-ready work, I immediately hang it on the wall, and it sells the next day. Any effort you put into standardizing your presentation is an investment in simplifying that exact process.
3. The Rules of Professional Presentation
To eliminate friction and present yourself as a seasoned professional, you need to deliver a finished product. Follow these basic guidelines when preparing your portfolio:
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Standardize your format: Decide early on whether you are a framing artist or a gallery-wrap artist, and commit to it across your entire body of work.
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Finish the edges: If you are using a gallery wrap format and not framing, ensure your canvas edges are painted clean and crisp.
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Wire it for the wall: Never hand a gallery a piece that requires a trip to the hardware store before it can be securely displayed.
One Final Takeaway
Your art is only as professional as the package it is delivered in. Do the heavy lifting of presentation before you ever hit send on a portfolio submission, and let the gallery focus entirely on selling your work.
What’s Your Presentation Strategy?
How do you currently handle framing or finishing your edges, and have you ever had a gallery ask you to change your presentation? Share your experiences in the comments below.
I always gallery-wrap, extending the painting over the sides. I never ever frame because the options with frame type are limitless and not many like my preference. Which is black floating frame. I’ve never had a complete and don’t know of any buyer that has put the art in a frame. Easy peasy. 🙂
Hi Jason – is this also true of fine art prints? I do fine art photography and am just now starting to knock on gallery doors. Mid-to-largish prints in a portfolio. Am thinking that I’ll spend the money framing once I get interest… (I’ve taken your class on presenting one’s portfolio so am “good” up to the point of sending my portfolio…). Thanks!
I frame all my pieces and paint the sides if the collector decides they do not want the floating frameci provide
I use gallery wrap for works on canvas but I have to frame the prints and watercolors. This leads to some degree of inconsistency but at least I’m presenting everything ready to hang now. I have a few matted prints in sleeves at galleries and I think they get lost so I don’t do that with originals although they do sell as prints.
Curious if you recommend actually just staying with one approach. It would limit me because I enjoy both working on canvas and on paper.
Jane, have you ever tried mounting the watercolors on cradled wood panels? I’ve started to do this, as my art league often has issues with hanging artwork with glass in the frame. It is an extra process, but still looks nice and professional. I am curious what Jason thinks about this process- if it is better to frame a watercolor behind glass, or is the mounting and sealing process acceptable in a gallery.
Great info Jason. I only do gallery wrap for a number of reasons. First of all I only work on only fairly large canvases ranging from the smallest 36” x 36” to as big currently at 72” x 48”. All the sides are painted black, and all paintings have a gloss varnish on the painting and the sides. I also am not currently seeking gallery representation, and show through my own gallery which is my double booth at the high end art festivals throughout Arizona and other Western states. Because of the constant setting up and tearing down necessary for art festivals, the dinging of expensive frames would be unavoidable, and not something I want to deal with. Also, because my work is fairly large scale I don’t feel it needs a frame, like smaller works would. In addition, you never know what type of frame a customer may want to fit their decor, so I don’t want to guess, and incur that expense. If the customer feels it is necessary to frame a piece they purchase from me, they can certainly do that. The festival shows have been very successful for me in both original and print sales, and not having the work framed has never been a hurdle that has caused the loss of a sale. My printer of my limited edition prints also has a very successful frame shop in Scottsdale which I would steer my customers to if they ever need to explore framing for one of my pieces. I don’t miss dealing with framing!
My paintings are on gallery wrapped canvases with wrap-around edges. Client’s taste in frames vary so it keeps things easier.
Framed or Gallery-wrapped across the board presents a quandry for me.
I have two basic formats. One is printed stretched canvas which I feel presents more solidly than framed. The second is print on metal plate which is in a float frame. The thin metal plate jutting an inch off the wall looks abysmally unresolved but the float frame lends a certain presence that speaks to the elegance of the print on metal plate.
To be consistent as I see it would be to alter the effect on the viewer in a negative way.
My work is digital geometric abstract and already a bit of a complication.
Hello Jason. Thanks for this very helpful post. I have always worked at providing a finished product, but I have mixed framed and unframed, I hope, with a sensible rationale. I paint both on stretched canvas and on gessoed (usually small) panels. I frame the panels as the best way to display them. I use gallery wrap stretched canvas for larger paintings and typically paint the edge of the gallery wrap in a dark color like Paynes Grey.
I’m curious if this applies to mixed media. Sometimes I extend the collage ( I don’t use canvas)over the sides of a 1 1/2” deep wood panel and sometimes I paint the edges.neutral It depends on the feeling of the piece. Is this acceptable?
I paint gallery wrap, no frames. As an old timer picture framer, I can’t begin to estimate how many framed artworks came into the shop for a different frame. Too many. The customers hardly ever wanted to keep the old frames, no matter how expensive they were.
That said, when I decide I want to keep a painting for myself or a family member, I prefer to frame it. Keeps the painting safer from dings and prevents the eventual warping of the stretchers. Yes, the stress put on the stretchers by the hanging wire does gradually pull the upper third of the side stretchers together, bows the top stretcher and breaks the glue holding all 4 corners together. I’ve seen it.
Hi Jason. I never cover my watercolours with glass because of how the room’s lighting will show reflections which alters my art. I finish each piece with several applications of UV archival-quality matte clear coat and then flush-mount to panel boards. If a buyer wants a more formal finish their framing shop can add a floating frame in whatever style or colour to match their decor. What do you think? Is that an acceptable method?