i love this! #1 looks more dramatic. #3 looks more polished and traditional to me, so depending on the look you're after.... I don't care for the other options myself.

I prefer a mat although that one seems a bit too bright.

I usually take the setting into consideration too when I frame art if I know where it's going.

I like the vibrancy of the first, though I prefer it matted. I think the white mat is too stark for the image though.

If that's the wall it's going on, then the canvas fades in too much with the wall. I had some pics made into canvas but was able to put a black edge on them which I prefer to the full wrap. Perhaps that's an option for you.

Custom framed. Not forced to fit a standard frame size. First mat the green of one of the foliage or the bright navy if the bird. I’d do green. 1/4 reveal. Top mat a standard white at least 3”. Maybe more. Simple 3” black frame.

Pretty much all pieces look best double matted.

I like any of the options. My first consideration; however, would be how other nearby artwork is framed. If there is other wall art nearby, I try to frame so that it looks differently from what you already have. for ex. If other art is matted, I might choose a non matted option for the new addition to avoid matchy matchy look. If there is no other visible art, any option would be great.

as to store bought vs. custom framing, the cheaper the artwork, the more I’d consider store-bought frames first. HST, the variety of custom frames is like 1000% more than store bought so the chances of upscaling the cheapest print may be worth the higher cost of going custom.

I like a mat better and the black frame is nice.

Whether one or two mats, I prefer a dark one next to the bird, either black, or a dark blue or green from the image. If you imagine that the frame in #1 is actually a mat, see how much more dramatic and whole it looks. Definitely a black frame.

It's a beautiful print. I have an Audubon crow/raven in my hall and I love it.

At the Oppenheimer Gallery in Chicago, they sell the real Audubons. They have them all framed in narrow gold frames with raised matting. It is very grand, but so are Audubons - maybe their framing will still give you some ideas. I do like the gold color. Goes with everything. How beautiful these are!

I love #1 but I am not a huge fan of matting in general. I don't know why - I think to me matting makes it feel more stodgy or formal or something. Nothing I have ever had framed has a mat - I just prefer the look of it without. Though I will admit that My3Dogs' blue matting is gorgeous with that print!

Love all Audubon prints! Here is one that we have framed (double elephant sized print). We had this professionally framed. We have a few more double elephants rolled up that we will have framed the same way as the Egret. The prints that we have were purchased from Princeton Audubon. https://princetonaudubonprints.com/

Thanks everyone for the feedback. This piece will go in my LR above the wing chair and replace the hunt print I've grown to dislike so much. (Dislike mainly because I can't stand the mat and frame. I went custom and chose the look but didn't like it from the minute I picked it up. Colors wrong and proportions are wrong. It was expensive for me and multiple lessons.)

I much prefer double mats too. Sometimes I think a single, thin mat kind of looks like you didn't want to spend money on proper framing. Nothing necessarily wrong with that. I think some art you can get away with a single mat more easily than others. I do think the mat above is a little too stark.

Thanks to everyone who posted pictures of examples and your art! Beautiful! I think I'll use a black frame but I really like gold frames. I think I'll do some mock ups to double check the gold. I've actually been eyeballing a couple frames around the house debating if I should change them to gold. The ones Frieda posted I think look great and I don't believe I would care for them near as much in black.

Rory thanks for the link. I've learned some more about these prints. I really like how yours are framed. I think a double white mat looks so sharp.