About My Painted Mats

Each of the painted mats on my art work is painted and signed by me, personally. I have no painting assistants. None of the mats are printed in anyway. Nothing is glued or pasted on. As least once during every art show I have ever done, I've been asked how or why I extend my images to the mat. Here's my answer.

Have you ever wondered about the rest of the scene in any painting? Are you aware that often when an artist prints a reproduction of her work the entire image is not printed? Sometimes just a section of the original work becomes the art print. That's, in part, where the idea of painted mats originated with me. I was doing mats that had regular remarques on them. In my case, small separate paintings of mountains and cacti and baskets and pots were what I was painting. I was getting very bored, very fast and decided to take an element that was in the piece I was working on at the time and extend it, therefore reproducing elements onto the mat that were in the original complete painting. I just put my brush down and painted outside the lines. That simple. No big deal. Unless of course, you understand the cost and value of a rag mat.

Two prints with painted mats, Desert Deva and Desert Showcase

I've been extending the artwork to the mat for a number of years now, it has become a trademark for my work, not every one of my pieces has this feature. By the way, please don't think it is necessary to purchase a painted mat with my art work. I understand that not everyone finds this type of mat attractive or suited to their decor, and I know my work will hold it's own without the enhanced mats. However, it is a nice addition to the matted print because no two are exactly the same. The mats, when painted, are originals, and are signed as such. That makes it possible to have an original painting along with your reproduction! That also makes it nicer for me as the artist because I'm able to give each of you something a little bit different than I gave the person before you.

I've also done French panels, and in some cases, extended the painting to some of my frames. This is done with a sense of adventure and fun, and is not to be construed as an art statement.

The first rule about painting on the mat is that there must be an element within the painting, close of the edge, that is worthy of being extended. Just blades of grass are not nearly as interesting as flowers, leaves, patterns in a rug or a piece of lace. Therefore, not every image lends itself to this matting treatment and I hope that when you find an image that doesn't have this extension you'll understand that sometimes it would be pointless to extend the painting because the 'story' as already been told.

As I mentioned earlier in this page, I use only rag mats for my work. This is not just 'acid free' mat. It is solid 100% cotton fiber. I use museum quality Crescent rag mat for all my mats.

It's worth the extra cost because these mat boards accept paint techniques and the colors don't change or fade as paper mats do.

Just a reminder, each of the mats is an original on it's own. Therefore, each mat has an original signature. Therefore, each mat has an original signature. There are no two mats that are exactly the same. I couldn't paint them the same if I tried, but of course I don't because that would take away the fun.

Additional information: Each mat is a double mat and each matted print or painting comes with a backing board of acid free foam core to make it easy if you want to frame the work yourself. All watercolors and prints need to be framed under glass, unless it's a print on canvas, or it is a varnished watercolor which technically makes it an acrylic.

To order a print or an original without the painted mat, just email or call me. If you have further questions about this process I'll be happy to answer.

Monitor settings may make a difference in the colors and values you see.  I've adjusted these photos to look as close to the originals as possible, but I cannot see what is on your monitor.  There is more information on my FAQ page about monitor settings.

More to see:

• The frames that I usually put on originals and prints