Backward Frames

[prospero]

New concept in framing. I make the frame and the artist paints something to fit.

I had a offcut purge recently. Also dragged a load of (slightly damaged) readymade out of the shed. One of my artist customers likes big ornate frames, but in a light finish. So I sanded down all the frames, fixing any dings at the same time and painted them all white. Some I added extra bits to beef them up a bit. All had 1" bevel liners added. Then I gave the artist in question a list with sizes so she could paint something to fit the frame. When she had completed the painting I applied a finish to the white 'blank' to suit.

This one was originally quite a rich gold. This finish is done by dabbing splodges of dark green and pink on the white base. Followed by a light powder gilding. When that's done I painted the whole thing with white emulsion and wiped it back a bit.

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This one in particular I was very pleased with. If someone had brought this painting in to be framed I would probably have had a hard time convincing them to use this style of framing. A 4" wide heavily ornamented moulding on a delicate 10x8 painting? Wouldn't have been my first choice come to that. Just shows how 'rules' can be very successfully broken.

Well I like it anyway. So did the artist. Wish I could get some more of it.

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[Keith Hewitt]

Hi Prospero,
Nice work.
Good wat to start the day with these 2 innovative frames.
That's my trouble - always looking at the frame and ignoring the artwork

[mikeysaling]

well done peter - nice one (or two)

[birdman]

Nice work Peter, thanks for sharing.

An interesting idea. We certainly have plenty of rejects lying around, and that's just the staff.

[Not your average framer]

Hi Peter,

Very nice frames. The artist does a good job too!

I don't find it so easy to get useful ornate mouldings at a decent price any more. Some of the lower priced mouldings now available are such poor quality and don't cut, or join very well.

[prospero]

Too right Mark.

The bottom frame used the last 4 bits of a 'pasta' moulding that I used to get from the long-departed Rochford Mouldings. There is nothing quite like it on the market today. Even finished moulding like that is very hard to find and is usually expensive because of the finish. Seems daft paying for the fancy finish when you are going to have to scrape it all off. My favourite stuff used to be the old 'mirror' moulding which had a really horrible bright gilt finish but the actual design was good. It was very cheap (<£1.00ft) so it was econnomical to refinish. None of that seems available now. Arqadia used to do some good ornate moulding at the right price, but every new catalogue has less and less to the point where I just don't buy from them nowadays. Simons have some nice useful stuff, not too dear which I have had samples of. Trouble is I daren't use it on the Morso because of the hard compo. same with the big plastic stuff. Hence wanting a saw........

[Not your average framer]

I had a couple of nice pasta samples from Ashworth & Thomsom a few years ago, for some strange reason they've never included them in their catalogue. I don't remember ever getting a price for them, but it was a few years ago, so perhaps I did after all.

I suspect that they may still do them.

[prospero]

These are all the ones I have done so far. They were mostly far-eastern readymades that were slightly damaged or got a yucky finish on. Some I've beefed up a bit with another moulding inside. All have bevel liners in.

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I'm going to photo each one so the artist has a picture ref with sizes. Then she can pick one she likes, do a painting to fit and ring me to say what finish she wants.

I've got another pile of smaller ones to do as and when......