Average age of a picture framer????

[Jamma]

Why is it that all picture framers you meet are 40+ if not older i dont believe anybody i have met have been in the 20,s
is this industry a dying trade where no young blood is coming in with no new modern ideas for future framing and unique galleries?
I ask this as i am only 22 and find any galleries i see are in small back alley villages which seem to have dated boaring stuff is this what people want?

[mikeysaling]

we do tend to frame what people want - any new ideas are welcome - post some example photos of what you would like to see. We cannot mostly afford the extravagance of the tate modern (never mind the space it would take).

mikey is 64 married with 2 children and drives a ferrari 458 italia during the week but a hot fiat 500 at weekends in a need for 'real' speed!

ferrari458_3.jpg (71.66 KiB) Viewed 14200 times

[Jamma]

well no need to go that extreme you crack on with your medals an peering threw your telescope

[mikeysaling]

having said that - jamma welcome to the forum -

We step out of our workshop into the real world seeking only peace and friendship, to teach if we are called upon, to be taught if we are fortunate. (to paraphrase kurt waldheim).

hey jamma - enjoy the forum its a great place to hang out!

[Roboframer]

Take the stone glasshopper - take the stone!

[Grahame Case]

I'm 24, and a picture framer, I think most framers tend to have a little bit of life experience and not come into the job fresh out of school.

Life experience is probably a good thing in all honesty

[Gesso&Bole]

I was 23 when I started as a picture framer . . . . . . . but that was a little while ago.

I also get frustrated at the fusty image, and old - fashioned thinking of many framers, but would respectfully point out that this is not necessarily anything to do with age!

[Not your average framer]

In reply to Mikey's post, I will be 58 this year and drive a beaten up old Peugot 205 diesel. When I want some extra speed, there's plenty of steep hills around here!

Most of my local framing pals are older than me!

[framemaker]

Hi Jamma
I am kind of in the middle at (just turned) 32, started framing full time after leaving school at 16 - framing for half my life.... oh dear, no wonder I'm rather boring.

But really I think there is a fair bit of innovation and new ideas in framing styles out there, I certainly see lots of work in galleries that I visit which impresses me and gives me loads of ideas. I also find that customers I work for, especially young artists, are great for driving forward new and modern styles.

Having said all that, some of the most creative and imaginative framers I know are over 50

[Roboframer]

What's your story anyway Jamma?

Seems from your profile you work in a garden centre so maybe you are asking from a consumer perspective -but then I see your first post - advice based on experience giving names like cassesse and Arqadia - so probably not a consumer.

Does the garden centre have a framing dept - like Haskins/Hobbycraft - and how old are the people/is the person that owns the garden centre?

Anyway - not all framers are 'gallery' owners - most will probably sell art or even 'art' and some may even describe their gaffs as 'galleries' - but most are just shops. Then there are real galleries - and not all of them will do their own framing - they'll probably sub it out to some old git - and if you want to see bad/boring framing - just go to a high-faluting, up-its-own-arse gallery!

[Jamma]

well......i,v bin framing since a young kid as my dads been doing it for 23yrs so its all i,v known from an urly age i,v bin at it full time nearly 7yrs (yes he is an old git set in his ways) i started doing markets then went on to adding to that by doing contract work for wholesalers which was all i needed didnt need general joe blogs passing trader but then 4yrs ago the bottom dropped out due to all the shit from china so the plug got pulled the building i worked from needed to get rid to down size got something smaller and now i have 2 shops main 1 garden centre and other is in a town small show room for joe blogs the rest of the premesis is for manufacturing so now just building things back up but more top end rather than all contract as u get worked to then bone by blood sucking penny pinchers

the people that come into the garden centre are your sugar mummys in the week and your OAPS lol but i would say the clientel are 35-60 but it has the likes of laura ashley , tog24 , cotton traders an so on which draw footfall its a small indoor shopping mall with a garden centre that older end like coming for the day out the centre is actually owned by them greedy supermarket owners called tesco thats my story guys ...!

[kev@frames]

I think i was 35 or 36. (now 52)

The reason we get very few young people entering the trade is very simple:

a) Its a low-prestige job. It don't impress anybody. In fact tell them what you do when they ask, and their eyes glaze over. Not exactly a babe-magnet of a job.

b) Half of them (exactly 50 percent, according to the Labour Government) are too good for hands-on work, and are more suited to going to university doing media studies or something. The other 50 percent are just waiting their turn to go on the Jeremy Kyle show, which is probably a better bird-puller than saying you are a picture framer.

A jaundiced view of the 16-20 age group? Perhaps.

The trade organisations do nothing to make the trade look even vaguely attractive, nobody ever left school wanting to be a picture framer.

Its a job people fall into by accident, not design.

It is pushed by many organisations as a "after your 22 career with us ends, why not do a two day course and be a framer" option.

The majority of framers are self employed, one or "mom and pop" operations who dont take on staff, and self employed are generally older anyway.

A large propoirtion of those in the trade are in it because they think it's a cushy semi-retirement passtime, and their pensions are subsidising their "business".

The word picture framer conjours up the image of an old duffer, in a brown apron, with a pot of glue. It don't look good on MyFace. Its marginally better as an image than the crusty faced middle aged printer on the FATG logo though.

Having said that, over the years we have had a couple of young people (started with us at 16/17 years old) who went on to manage frame shops by the time they were 22, one in the US, and another in the US driving a wizard (although for the life of me I wonder how a brit ever got a green card to operate a wizard CMC in the US! Talk about taking coal to Newcastle)

And I have recently taken on a 20 year old skilled joiner making a change from the construction industry in France to Framing.

Younger framers are the exception rather than the rule. Ask anyone here who has tried to get and keep reliable competent staff over the years.

[avantime]

I think many framers get into it as a result of a hobby. I know several framers who framed in their free time doing jobs for friends and relatives. Some then go on to open a shop as a result.

I started making frames when I was doing a Fine Art Degree (BA in FA!!) making frames for fellow students and tutors. Now I'm just the right side of 40 and have diversified into furniture manufacture (as well as frames and mirrors). I would agree that the image of framers is "real ale and beards".


Oh and I drive a Renault Avantime (and 2 vans - though not at the same time!).

[WelshFramer]

Life experience is probably a good thing in all honesty

Don't worry, Grahame, there plenty of time to get that later.

At least, that's what I keep telling myself. One day I'll find the time to get a little life experience.

[Perfection]

Might be old but at least I can spell!
P

[The Jolly Good Framer #1]

Jamma, I think you will find that all us framer on the forum here are in our 20’s..... We’re just pretending to be older. So don’t believe anyone who says they are older than 30.
You don’t seriously believe that anyone over the age of 30 would know how to switch a computer on let alone know how to post a message on a forum.

[Not your average framer]

Life as an older framer.

How much would it cost to frame.jpg (26.67 KiB) Viewed 13761 times

How much would it cost to frame.....?

Never had this problem with the Morso.jpg (27.85 KiB) Viewed 13761 times

I never had this problem with the Morso!

[Tim]

A brief framing bio from me (Tim @ Deepwell Framing)

After 25 years in the IT industry, I managed to extricate myself from the corporate rat-race in 2002. My SO had just been offered a great job in Scotland so we sold our smallish town house in the M40 corridor, and bought a foursquare Victorian country house with a couple of acres of land and a salmon river in Ayrshire with SOME of the proceeds. (yep - even as late as 2002 you could get a LOT more for your money in Scotland). A house that size comes with a large amount of wall surface, and after one trip to John Lewis to buy a couple of nice prints, decided that at £150 a time I could probably afford a new hobby. I took the proverbial 2 day course, bought a rake of kit from Logan, and got to work. Over the years, friends and family started to take an interest, and eventually my standards got to a level where they were happy to let me loose on some of their own work. In 2007 we moved again, this time down to Yorkshire, into a very small village. This time it didn't take long before some locals were asking whether I could 'just frame this old thing' for them, and one thing led to another, such that I now have a few local art groups and photographers beating a path to my door, and I'm in the process of legitimising the business by way of a decent website, and have graduated equipment wise to the bottom end of the 'professional' gear, ie Morso, Keencut Ultimat Gold, Jetmounter, Casesse Underpinner. Still primarily a one-man band, and very happy to have it stay that way. I look on this as a kind of extension to my pension fund, and it's an occupation from which I achieve way more enjoyment than I ever did 'at work'. At least here no-one's going to tell me to retire at 65! I think by then (I'm 51 now), I'll just be getting to the stage of being a 'professional'! Should have done this years ago.

[abstractframing]

I'm 20 and have just started getting into picture framing after a local business closed down their shop on the high street. We continued to offer their services within our shop however not being the honest of people, their "trade prices" werent exactly trade. They advised us of how much they would sell their services for to customers and gave us a breakdown of pricing for us. However, customers who were coming to see us were turning away at our prices and claiming they were getting the same thing for half the price.
Always having a passion for art and photography I decided that I would take the challenge and get into picture framing myself.
I agree with you in regards to the issues of the standard view of picture framers. Generally all picture frame shops and art galleries are just standard and for the younger generation, rather boring looking. I aim to eventually have my own shop, currently offering through my dads shop, to which I want a vibrant clean cut look. As for designs, i'm still working on that one. But would be great to show ideas.
Michaela
xo

[JFeig]

It is nice to see so many youngsters in the industry. I was eligible for early social security last year.