Making contemporary paintings on paper instead of on stretched canvas takes some getting used to, since the texture of the surfaces is different. The advantage of working on paper is that it is less expensive than canvas, but the final result then needs to be framed before it can be hung.
When I paint on canvas, I use gallery-wrapped canvases that are one and a half inches thick. I paint the image around the sides of the canvas so that they can be hung without being framed. Thus, I have no framing problem.
Paintings on paper are another story. While I have made my own mats and frames in the past, this part of the process is really not my forte. So I sell the paintings unframed, or use a framer downtown if my client wants their selection framed.
Swept Away, 24" x 18" acrylic on watercolor paper.
Painting on paper is freer in some ways, once you get used to working with the painting surface. By mixing the paint with water, you can get transparent and translucent effects similar to watercolors.
Contemporary Art Twenty-Six, 24" x 18" acrylic on watercolor paper.
Recently I think I found a solution to the framing problem. I found pre-cut mats and ready-made metal frames that work well with my contemporary art. They would allow me to offer framed paintings at a reasonable price.
Now I'm trying to figure out how to represent the framed paintings digitally on my website. I'm still working on that one.
Update: An hour after posting this, I figured out how to show the painting framed using Photoshop. See pic below:
Swept away, matted and framed. Outside dimensions 28" x 22".