Frame Your Artwork!

Use custom framing to enhance the beauty of any artwork. Personalize the artwork for your office or home to make it truly unique. At Art 3 Gallery, we take special care with every frame job to make sure that your artwork is a reflection of your own personal style as well as preserved for generations to come.

Make sure it's "acid-free"

When matting your artwork, always choose 100% acid-free or archival matting. Paper mats will cause your artwork to suffer from "burning" - this is where the acid in the mat leaches into the artwork and causes discolorations and stains which, over time, are irreversible. You can add color to the frame design with a properly chosen mat or you can choose a neutral color, such as ecru or antique white, that will set off the artwork. Sometimes a very small piece can be surrounded by a very large mat which will enable you to focus on the art more easily.
Watch the tape

As with the mat, be sure to choose a tape or adhesive that is also acid-free. Tape especially can cause yellowing and often will dry out over time causing your artwork to slip inside of the mat. To avoid this, framers use hinges made of handmade paper. The fibers in hinging tape adhere to the fibers in the mat and paper, forming a bond that will hold the artwork in place safely and securely. Hinging is most often used for illustrations and paper pieces, such as watercolors.
Glass matters, too

Do not let the glass directly touch the surface of the artwork being framed. Over time moisture in the air will cause the glass to stick and ruin your piece. Avoid this by using spacers that go behind the glass, separating it from the artwork. Spacers can also be used as an aesthetic element creating depth in the framing design. A properly chosen mat will also achieve separation of glass and art. Choose conservation or museum glass to protect your art from the damaging effects of the sun which can dry out, fade or yellow the work.
Visit Art 3 Gallery and let one of our framing professionals help you to make your artwork the best that it can be.

Art 3 Gallery: New England's Premier Retail Fine Art Gallery

We were recently featured in an article about fine art, art consultants, and art galleries in New Hampshire Homes magazine. Take a moment, follow the link and read all about us. Art 3 Gallery: New England's Premier Retail Fine Art Gallery. If you're interested in New Hampshire Real Estate, check out some of what they have to offer for Manchester, NH Real Estate.

Adventures of a gallery intern

Art 3 Gallery is home to the works of many artists - sculptors, painters, both traditional and abstract, glassblowers and more. Being an intern here means new work and new artists are always popping in. Studying art myself, it's thrilling to meet all the characters that visit. Last week, I accompanied Joni Taube, owner of Art 3, on a studio visit to several artists. After packing and repacking her car like a strange game of Tetris, we headed out.


Mike Wilson

 Our first stop was at the studio of Mike Wilson, where Mike and his two dogs, Otto and Scout, greeted us. His walls, covered with colorful paintings, and tables littered with brushes and vases of fake flowers, made the space feel very lived in and pleasant, much like Mike himself. He showed us his new project, 90 paintings of the hero Don Quixote in 90 days. Each was made in a cubist style, with vibrant colors and playful, surrealist settings that reflect the story. While Joni and Mike discussed pieces for Art 3’s spring show, I was able to roam Mike’s space and realized just how varied his work was. From realistic rustic landscapes, to industrial trains, to his cheeky pin-up series, and his more abstract geometric pieces, each piece is well composed and interesting in its own way.


Rosemary Boyle

 We then headed towards the studio of Rosemary Boyle. Her studio was large and filled with found objects and acrylic mediums. Her work was massive and graphic, using stripes and line to create quirky pinwheel patterns. Her found object sculptures are reminiscent of a modern interpretation of Tim Burton's style. If you were to scan the wall too quickly, you might get vertigo. Rosemary wasn’t in her gallery, so she and Joni spoke on the phone and after sending pictures back and forth of what pieces to take and what to leave, we made our choices and our time was done.
Our adventures continued with a visit to Suzanne Hodes. Her oil paintings were all large and rich in color. She enjoys painting loose cityscapes, with bright turquoises, yellows, and oranges. Her paintings look like watercolors, making her abstracted landscapes and images of water stand out from others I had seen. We brought a great assortment of pieces back to the gallery.


Janet Shapero's studio

 Joni and I went next to the studio of Janet Shapero. Her studio was by far the largest, with towering mesh columns and vibrant, saturated squares of color hanging on every wall and ceiling beam. Despite being filled with new projects, Janet’s studio was meticulously clean and organized. Modern stools were placed here and there, with an impeccably white kitchen set up, utensils as colorful as the art on her walls, and large glass bowls of licorice candy scattered around the room. Janet has invented her particular method of working. She takes screen-like material, which she uses to create unique, vibrant hybrids of sculpture, printmaking, and painting. Joni selected some of her narrow vertical pieces to accompany the other work chosen for the show.
While we were there, Janet introduced us to another artist who lived next door, after which Joni exchanged cards, expressing an interest in her work. This was a good lesson for me about the art world, and the importance of connections, and how “who you know” can often open up opportunities that you wouldn't necessarily find on your own. Returning to Mike Wilson's studio one last time to get his framed works, we gathered all the art we had collected in our Tranzporters--Joni’s other business(see www.Tranzporter.com) Thanks to the help of Mike, and some supervision by Scout and Otto, we were soon packed and ready to return to the gallery.
All in all, it was a marvelous experience, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a job that exposes me to such a wide variety of artists and experiences. Despite the differences between Janet, Mike, Rosemary, and Suzanne, they all have found a niche market in which they have been able to survive for over 30 years. I look forward to seeing art from these incredibly talented individuals, as well as all the other fantastic work that can be found at Art 3 Gallery.

Changing our walls

New work is arriving daily for our winter show "Visually Speaking". No opening for this show, but LOTS of new pieces to brighten any wall! We were delighted to visit with Maine artist Mary Brooking this week. Mary continues to explore and develop her art and we love the resulting work. This is how Mary describes her work: "Some of my paintings are representational; some are abstract. What I enjoy most is exploring the spaces in between representation and abstraction, resulting in a vision which is both emotional and immediate, like an intuitive glimpse afforded by the eyes before the brain's analysis and definition". Stop by to see these warm, colorful pieces!

the fun begins...

How to hang an art exhibit

Regular visitors to Art 3 Gallery are always amazed at the variety of style and medium we display on our walls. We represent over 150 artists, and each artist brings a creative and unique perspective to their art. Because of this wide ranging inventory, we have maintained our idea of featuring as many artist as possible in our shows. No featured artist,no one style or type. Our shows are theme based, giving the artist the opportunity to interpret the theme as it resonates with them.
So how do we hang these shows?? Curious minds want to know--so thorugh the next week or so, we'll show you how we make our walls flow!

BOB Awards

Just heard we were voted best corporate art gallery in NH by readeers of NH Business Review--4 years running--woo-hoo for Art 3!!
Valentine's Day is a great time to add to an art collection. Something for someone special and if you co-habitate, you can also enjoy the gift--and admire your good taste!
Stop in and browse and be a hit this February 14TH!!