How Professional Artists Finish the Edges of A Canvas
3 Key Strategies
A common question and practical issue all painters face at a certain point is how to finish the edges of a canvas. As a result, in this article, we will provide a definitive answer based on in-field experience by learning from the masters and sharing how established artists in today’s art world finish the edges of their canvases. Using one of the three suggested strategies, you can elevate your paintings from a mere image on the wall to a collectible object with a high-end appearance.
Problematically, across the web, from blog posts to YouTube videos, people are being advised to either continue the painting onto the sides of the canvas, similar to commercial canvas prints, or to paint the edges in a single color, such as black or one that matches the painting. In fact, the first two pages of Google advise this, as do the majority of YouTube videos. However, in the professional art world, this is almost never the case. So, if you enjoy painting and consider it a hobby, you can paint your edges. However, for those who want to enter the art world and want to professionalize the appearance of their works, you might consider one of the following strategies instead.
In a nutshell, there are three main ways to professionally deal with the edges of your canvases: First and foremost, leave the artwork unframed with the edges untouched. Second, frame the artwork following the current framing trends. Third, aim to stand out with more experimental and creative alternatives. Let’s expand on these three strategies by discussing specific examples and case studies in today’s art world.
1. Unframed: Leaving the Edges Untouched
Perhaps the easiest and cheapest option is to simply present the artwork unframed and leave the edges completely unfinished. You might be surprised that this approach is actually very common in the high-end art world, but there is a bit more to it. If you go for this strategy, I do not recommend you use wooden stretcher bars of only 1 inch or 2.5 centimeters deep—otherwise, the artwork will look too light, and it will not have a high-end presence in the gallery space. Instead, use aluminum stretchers that are 2 inches or 4.5 centimeters thick so they have a more convincing and physical presence on the wall.
You can either go for a looser approach with some paint splatters on the sides such as the examples of Gerhard Richter and Nicole Eisenman, or you could go for a more controlled approach having an almost perfectly straight line at the edge of the canvas by using masking tape to protect the white edge or painting more carefully around the edges as is the case with the example of Laurent Proux at Christine König Galerie. However, leaving the edges untouched does not mean they always have to be white. Think of the example by Louise Bonnet where the canvas is unprimed and therefore brown, or Michaël Borremans’s sides that show the toned imprimatura underpainting of raw sienna.
2. Framed: Wooden Floating Frames
One of my favorite strategies is framing the artwork. A frame will immediately give your painting a more professional, physical, high-end appearance. With a frame, you cannot go wrong—especially when following the latest framing trends that are dominating the art world today. Some paintings do not have that high-end presence without a frame, whereas others can stand their ground in the gallery space without one. However, it is without a doubt the best and risk-free option of all our strategies. If you use stretcher bars of 1 inch or 2.5 centimeters, you can place them in a floating frame so the total depth of the final object is once more around 2 inches or 4.5 centimeters. If you use stretcher bars of 2 inches or 4.5 centimeters, you can also attach the wood directly against the side of your canvases.
When it comes to the color of the frame, wooden frames are currently trending in the art world, particularly blank wood and especially walnut, whereas in the past, we used to see frames that were painted white or black. So, if you decide to frame your works, please have a look at the following examples by Cornelia Baltes, Xie Lei, Neo Rauch, Jonathan Wateridge, and Ben Sledsens. As a result, I strongly advise you to go for a walnut or blank wooden frame, depending on the color palette of your work, as the dark walnut can sometimes be too dominant for minimal, white, or very bright pieces.
3. Stand Out with Creative Artist Frames
To conclude, one can take things a step further when considering framing their artworks, and instead of going for a professional and safe option such as the floating frames, approach framing as an opportunity to distinguish yourself and to stand out in the crowd. Creative or experimental handmade artist frames can give a sculptural dimension to your paintings that will make them stand out in the exhibition space from the very first glance. It can actually become what you are best known for and the art world is currently loving artists who creatively go the extra mile with their frames, from painting them to sculpting them.
Think of Emily Weiner’s carved and often painted artist frames of glazed stoneware and the playful use of walnut by Dabin Ahn in which the sides are used to depict his charactestic candles so the light can emante from the edges of the canvas onto the surface. Or what about Roy De Forest using his background as a sculptor to create increasingly complex frames to support the painted image, as is the case with Stephanie Temma Hier’s ceramic sculptural motifs encapsulating her painterly subjects focused on consumption. With Guadalupe Maravilla we see a similar approach in which he places devotional images in an otherwordly frame.
It is safe to say this option requires skills beyond being a painter. It is also a risk, as there is a fine balance between creating artist frames that are unique and refreshing, and quirky frames that feel sloppy and too crafty. However, when these experimental frames hold up in the gallery space, it is what sets them apart from the abundance of paintings out there. If not for their unique framing strategies, the recited artists would not be where they are now, illustrating the power of this unique approach.
Last Updated on February 23, 2025
About the author:
Julien Delagrange (b. 1994, BE) is an art historian, contemporary artist, and the director of CAI and CAI Gallery. Previously, Delagrange has worked for the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels, the Jan Vercruysse Foundation, and the Ghent University Library. His artistic practice and written art criticism are strongly intertwined, examining contemporary art in search of new perspectives in the art world.
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