I am currently gathering information on a project I am going to make . Im going to design and make a shadow box type picture frame for a pricy little painting I got for my wife's anniversary last year..its 33.5" x 17.5" It's rather dark as you can see ..my thought is a western style frame that's a bit oversized to accommodate a 1" overlap and a 45° piece of trim inside for an angled striplight.. 1) I am undecided of corded or battery. I've never liked the looks of cords hanging from a wall + location to outlet but you don't have to worry about batteries either. If I went with batteries I could hide on top or behind frame. 2) the strip lights are relatively new and with soooo many varieties and manufacturers its hard to know who is making a decent long lasting product.
Any thoughts from the forum ? thanks for your time. 😉
sounds like a cool idea. yeah a cord would just spoil the look of the art, and as you said location would be determined by the outlet. LEDS are pretty efficient with power but yeah youd have to deal with changing batteries.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
Whatever you decide on I think you'd better try it first, if you are hoping for a flat, even illumination you might not not be able to achieve that with strip lights, the result might be you get it bright around the edges and it still be dark in the centre.
Yeah, could be tough getting even lighting. LEDs are spot sources so you'll need some diffusers and some depth (4+ inches) to the box to get the light to the center.
Personally I think just a cool frame that befits that scene and then go for a typical art-work light source mounted on the ceiling. They are low profile and can blend in well. Of course I'd say no way to the battery option as you'll hate them after a few changes. If you have access above (attic), running a low voltage power cord would be easy enough and hidden.
