I got a Fracture!

June 20, 2018

No, I didn’t break any bones, or worse (perhaps?) crack a lens. This blog post is going to be an unboxing and review of a recent piece of artwork I had printed through a company called Fracture, a place I discovered a while ago while searching for unique ways of printing an displaying my artwork. After all, it’s a reflection of myself as an artist, therefore I want it to look as good as possible.

What’s so special about this Fracture thing, you may ask? Put simply, they print your image onto glass. For some better details, you can easily look up the “What’s a Fracture?” page on their website. If you follow me on the socials (linked below at the bottom of this page), you may have seen that I recently had the opportunity to tour behind the scenes and visit with the folks at the Fracture production facility in Gainesville, Florida. It was a plesantly informative experience, and before we continue, I will answer two questions that I know you have. Yes, they do use real glass, not acrylic or plexiglass. And yes, they do actually print straight onto said real glass!

Now, with all that said, let’s get into it.

The first step is going to the Fracture website, choosing the size you want, and uploading your photo. This stuff if pretty easy, but if you do happen to have any issues, they have a great team who can help you through it. Here you can see I chose the large size, as I plan to display this piece and I want it to have an impact when shown. The particular image I chose, is a portrait of an American Alligator.

I ordered it on June 1st, chose the standard shipping option, and received it less than a week later. The box it arrived in felt very sturdy, and appeared to hold up quite well during its transport with USPS. It was taped up and stapled, with heavy duty staples, in the right places, so as not to damage the artwork while being opened. (trust me, that is not always the case with some printing companies) You can even see that the staples facing the bottom side of the artwork.

Now, looking inside the box, you might ask “Where’s the stuffing?” But actually, it’s better this way. Using air as cushioning, there is no need for giant bubble wrap or anything else that could end up putting unnecessary pressure on the glass and potentially damaging it before it ever reaches you. This also cuts down on wasted materials, a factor that helps Fracture to be a carbon neutral company. (things like that are important to me)

It’s pretty easy to slide out of the box. As you can see here, it is held in place with plastic straps to keep it from shifting around during transport, and a protective piece of cardboard is placed over the artwork to keep these straps from scratching it. Also note, the Fracture sits inside a fitted foam border attached to a backing of cardboard, thus preventing more shuffling around. I appreciate this part very much, as mine will spend more time in transit than most while going to and from shows.

Now, cue the 2001 A Space Odyssey theme music, and take a look!

The Fracture itself is surprisingly thin, but still feels quite solid. This is because the glass print is mounted onto a foam backing, thus increasing the overall strength. The construction looks good, no frayed, scratched, or chipped corners. And it even comes with all the hardware required to hang it, a single, heavy duty, screw. Looking at the back, you can see that on their larger pieces, the area on the back around the where the screw will sit is reinforced with a metal bracket.

Next comes the best part, placing it on the wall for display. The coolest thing about this part, is that when you get your Fracture, it comes ready to hang straight away. You DO NOT need to find a frame!!!

What I really like is how simple, yet elegant it looks. It lays flat against a wall, and somehow, minimizing the space it requires, actually seems to maximize the impact it creates. As you can see, a Fracture is a very different way to present. It’s sturdy, sleek, and gives a very professional look to your artwork and to your personal memories.

So print your pictures! Get them off your hard drive (or your phone). Trust me, you will be happy that you did.