Can you provide any tips for selecting the right mat color?
First off, I would recommend using at least two colors. This allows you to use an accent color without overpowering the piece. Three colors can be even more striking, although to really make a triple mat design work well it helps to have a basic understanding of color theory (or a naturally good "eye" for color).
Probably the easiest way to ensure that you select the right colors for a piece of artwork is to bring it in to one of our store locations so that one of our design specialists can work with you to select a color harmony that complements the artwork. That being said, I'll give you a kind of formula for creating a basic mat design. . . Keep in mind, though, that in aesthetic matters there are no unbreakable "rules". Still, while there are certainly other possible approaches, this one will tend to produce a pleasing combination:
For the top mat, select a fairly neutral color that has the same basic value (lightness or darkness) as the overall artwork, or the background of the composition. For a very dark work, use a fairly dark mat. For a light work, use a lighter mat. You can use a color that is prevalent in the artwork, but make sure that the color of the mat is not more intense or vibrant than the same color in the artwork. It is also common to simply use a white or off-white mat as the top mat, regardless of the value of the artwork. For a framed piece hung on a white or off-white wall, this is a viable approach, but I tend to think that the design works better if the value of the top mat is closer to the value of the art.
Then, select an accent color to use for the second mat. A good choice for the accent color would be the color of a focal point in the subject matter of the artwork, or the color of some item in the image that you would like the matting to draw attention to. Alternately, a good rule of thumb is that the third most predominant color in the artwork tends to make a good choice for an accent color. This second mat is there for impact and contrast, so it will generally be a more intense color than the top mat, and usually of contrasting value with the background of the artwork as a whole (a light color for a dark background, and a dark color for a light background.)
This approach is one of the most commonly used in creating a basic double mat design. If you would like to add still more interest, you can use a third mat in between these two layers in the same color family (or the complementary color family) of one of the other mats, in a midrange value, or tone. The exposure, or amount of this mat layer showing, should be somewhat larger or smaller than the bottom mat exposure to prevent a monotonous "stripe" effect.
